The Taste of Him
by Devi1s-angel
Summary: Deku is kidnapped by Shigaraki for no obvious reasons other than his obsession for the boy, and with his absence, Bakugou notices the lack of the sweet taste in his mouth the greenete's presence would bring. With Tomura's new determination to destroy UA and All Might, Deku is brought into the open charming even the prodigy Shoto Todoroki. (Temporarily Paused)
1. Chapter 1

** Chapter 1**

It was approximately three years ago. When Deku disappeared and was taken from his mother, his home, and Me. He was always a good kid, maybe too good if you ask me. He was always good at filling people's hearts to the brim; It made me feel like he could take over my life at any given moment. Whenever he would talk to you, it gave you a sickeningly sweet taste in your mouth. That taste made me want to throw up. But now I would give anything for that taste to come back.

His emerald colored eyes would light up all the time like the sun. No. They wouldn't light up like the sun, they were the sun. _He _was the sun. I was a fool to think that I could compete with him. His annoyingly bright nature and his sickeningly sweet presence would frequently attract some unwanted attention. Throughout the time I knew him, he's developed multiple stalkers and has multiple restraining orders on people. Not like that ever stopped them. I remember one time, this one older guy that was like thirty, broke into his house in the middle of the night and curled up next to Deku. The bastard. The cops took care of him.

And now we're in this situation. I finally got the chance to see him again, but not in the circumstance I wanted. The villains attacking 1-A students, in the USJ building, with a hostage, and some sort of creature. The villains are spread out across the building and the whole damn class is spilt up. When me and shitty hair finally get back to the main part of the building, All Might is battling that one brain creature. A guy with teal hair keeps calling it 'Nomu', whatever that means. When I look at it from a fan's point of view, All Might's definitely gonna win. But... All Might cant seem to beat it. It's taking all of his punches and returning them too.

I look around to see if the other teachers were going to step in, but they were already defeated. Thirteen was on the floor missing a back and Mr. Aizawa was also on the concreate knocked out. His face was crushed, his elbow was shattered, and his body was bleeding in multiple places. He was a mess. "W-who could do so much damage?" I asked myself, unknowing of shitty hair's presence behind me. "Dude look!" I jumped at his sudden usage of his voice and looked over to where his finger pointed. Behind the multiple villains, knocked out, behind the ones that were still fighting, next to the teleporting villain, was the teal haired mini boss. He was holding some sort of chain that connected to the neck and hands of someone that looked to be around the same age as me.

The chains on their wrists were attached making mobility that much harder along with one suffocating them by the throat. It seemed like over kill for people who were seemingly on the same side. As the teal haired one they called 'Shigaraki' flaunted his 'Nomu' to All Might, the chains moved with him, hitting the cloth that covered the stranger's body. They were... floating? It didn't seem like it was their own doing though. Perhaps someone else's quirk? It was that posture someone would take when they were on the surface of the pool looking at the bottom. When a kid trys to make it look like they drowned in front of their parents, except in the air, right above the ground. It was less like floating and more like hovering.

The stranger wore a loose white short sleeve shirt and white pants. Both seemed to be tattered at the bottoms. But that really stood out against the white clothing, was the messy mop of green hair. The familiar forest green color flooded Bakugou's eyes. "T-there's no way" his eyes widened. "What's wrong, bro?" Kirishima asked, but his voice never reached Bakugou. Not when he had just found the one thing he's been looking for. Not when three years of emptiness had finally ended. Not when Deku was right in front of him. "After all these years..." his voice almost pleaded that none of this ever happened, not the attack, and definatly not Deku going missing. Bakugou slowly began giggling. With Bakugou's personality type, Kirishima was definitely creeped out by his friends sudden and unusual outburst.

"DEKU!" Bakugou shouted at random in the middle of the USJ dome. Anyone within a thirty meter radius could hear his desperate attempt to reclaim what was once an important part of his life. All Might had his hands full with the Nomu and Kirishima was just as confused as when villains entered through the warp gate. Shigaraki on the other hand, was about to snap hearing such an insult. "Open your eyes, Deku!" Shigaraki had turned his whole body in an attempt to scare the student, but Bakugou had continued his yelling. "SHUT UP." Shigaraki's voice was dripping with fury. "Make me, you fucking handy man." That was the last straw, Shigaraki had bolted at Bakugou, hand out ready to disintegrate the delinquent. "Shitty hair, you're up!" On cue with Bakubrat's order, another student jumped out from behind the villain and trapped him with his hardening quirk.

Bakugou took this time to jump at the villain and blast him with his quirk. As a reaction with Bakugou's explosion, Shigaraki dropped the chain that he held onto. The one that held Deku. As Kirishima held Shigaraki hostage in his arms, Bakugou retrieved the chain off the floor and held it tight within his hand. It was like his life depended on protecting this one person. And to Bakugou, it did. When the one thing that had meaning in his life, finally came back after being gone for so long, he was willing to kill anyone that got in his way. Not like he wouldn't do that already.

Bakugou already felt a wave of relief wash over him. This was it. This was the taste he's been missing in his life. The taste of satisfaction, honey, and green tea. It was addicting. How could he have lasted so long without it. Bakugou's deep pants and long stares at the greenete made Shigaraki's skin crawl. He wanted to scratch his neck all over again. He wanted, no he _needed _to be in control of the greenete again. The feeling in his stomach made him want to disintegrate everything and everyone in the building, including the Nomu. Shigaraki's growled at the ever satisfied blonde. "Get your hands OFF HIM!" Shigaraki touched his captor's arms but didn't care what the face of his enemy looked like when he was in pain. All that mattered was retrieving Midoriya.

"HE'S MINE!" Shigaraki bolted yet again at the blonde in hopes of retaking what was his and destroying what took it.


	2. Chapter 2

"HE'S MINE!" Shigaraki bolted yet again at the blonde in hopes of retaking what was his and destroying what took it. With Bakugou's backup now on the floor bleeding, he had to think of a new plan. He settled on defending himself and his precious cargo until the pros showed up. And when that happened, he'd be free to do whatever he wanted with the greenete. Deku would finally be back in his life and his mouth would taste nothing but sweetness.

As Bakugou got into his fighting position, (managing with a floating person attached to a chain) Shigaraki was already one step ahead. His arm was elevated, ready to touch the blonde at any cost necessary. Bakugou had triggered an explosion that Shigaraki avoided with a scary amount of ease. As one hand reached out to touch Bakugou's arm, the other aimed to grab the chain back from the thief. The taste in his mouth becoming poison as quickly as Midoriya was stolen. It was visible that Shigaraki was loosing all interest in All Might as his heart seemed to crack and crumble with the separation from the greenete. Just as Shigaraki managed to touch Bakugou's arm, the chain was taken yet again, this time by the attacker.

Bakugou prepared himself to feel the pain from his arm as Shigaraki touched him, but it never came. Shigaraki jumped back, satisfied that his prize was back in it's rightful place. All was right with the world again as he touched the cold metal of the chain and reached to touch Midoriya's soft hair. The long awaited encounter with his prize was cut short by yet another explosion. Coughing, Shigaraki managed to speak, "Aren't you supposed to be unconscious," Shigaraki gripped the chain harder and glanced behind Bakugou, "Eraserhead?"

Just as Shigaraki had said, Aizawa was now conscious and had erased Shigaraki's quirk. He was struggling to keep his eyes open as his eyes were dry and blood was making its way to down his forehead. "Get Kirishima and get out of here, Bakugou!" Aizawa demanded. Kirishima was unconscious on the floor, just as Aizawa had been, also covered in blood and open wounds. "Not happening." Aizawa thought he heard wrong. Usually Bakugou would bite his tongue and grumble but would comply with his demands. This time though, he was refusing to the bitter end. "Bakugou, GO! I don't know how much longer I can-" Shigaraki had launched himself once again at Bakugou and this time had made an impact on his skin. "Hehe, gotcha." Shigaraki growled.

"Damnit." Aizawa cursed under his breath. Shigaraki had already begun disintegrating Bakugou's lower arm and moved towards his hand. Shigaraki had began an unhealthy amount of laughing. It looked like he was about to lose it. The assault on Bakugou had been cut short by the front doors swinging open to reveal about a dozen pros. "Damn, the pros are here." Shigaraki complained as he made his swift escape to the teleporting villain, who was witnessing All Might throw the Nomu through the walls of the building.

"Kurogiri, let's go" Shigaraki ordered, holding on tight to his balloon. It gave him some sort of unhealthy peace of mind to know that Midoriya was within touching distance and was being controlled by him. Like some sort of puppet, Midoriya was being strung along with whatever plan Shigaraki comes up with. But it's not like Midoriya even knew he was out in the open, he was unconscious after all. So close to freedom, it was almost tragic.

Shigaraki ended being shot by Snipe in multiple places but Bakugou was more concerned how close the shots were to Deku. His heart was pounding, he could hear it in his ears, and his breathing was jagged. "Deku," Bakugou called out, attracting Aizawa's glances. He stood up, "Give. Deku. BACK!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. Shigaraki paid no attention this time to Bakugou's rant and instead was shielded by Kurogiri's warp gate, Midoriya on his leash as he always was. They made their escape, without the Nomu of course and just by their teeth. It was a risk to even show up, but that was a given. All that mattered to Shigaraki was that Midoriya was back in his possession.

After the pros showed up and the villains fled, the students were round up and taken back to UA to be treated for their wounds. The worst being the teachers who protected the students and a handful of students including the hardening hero in training, Kirishima. All Might was taken to a separate room all together to deflate from his muscle form. Aizawa and Thirteen both needed immediate medical attention, Aizawa especially who needed surgery. After the commotion calmed down, students were to return to the newly built dorms to rest.

Most of the students stayed in the main rooms to talk about the day's events and check in on their friends. While the other students chatted away and checked out their new bruises, the less social members of the class retired to their rooms, Bakugou included. He was mourning how close he was to getting Deku back and how Shigaraki had stolen Deku from him. Two times in a row. Bakugou felt as if he was going crazy. That taste in his mouth was gone by now making Bakugou scowl. He sat in the corner of his room, thinking of what he could've done to get him back. The aura around him made others avoid his room altogether. That was until he heard a knock on his door.

"Fuck off!" Bakugou cursed at the door. Another knock came from the door, but this time they didn't stop. Over and over and over until Bakugou swung open the door. A scowling Todoroki with his hand in a fist hanging in the air stood at the doorway. Todoroki let his arm fall to his waist. "What!" Bakugou more demanded than asked. Todoroki forced his way through the angry blonde and into his room. It was out of character for Todoroki to even talk to Bakugou, let alone force his way into people's rooms. "Forgive my intrusion" Todoroki responded halfheartedly. Positioning himself in the middle of the room, Todoroki turned towards Bakugou, a question on his mind.

"I asked 'what'." Bakugou snapped. Todoroki took in a breath of air. "Who was he?" Bakugou could feel his pulse raising. "What are you going on about?" Bakugou avoided the question. "You know what I'm talking about, Bakugou. Who is Deku?" Todoroki wore his regular unreadable expression. "That's none of your business, Icyhot" The room became significantly colder. Bakugou could see his breath in a matter of seconds. "Bakugou, answer. My. Question."

Todoroki's ice spread from his arm down to his leg and finally to the floor. From the floor, the ice crawled and took over the room, eventually making its way to the walls. The ice ended up covering the door and frosting the window. Bakugou always had a stubborn personality, but he wasn't an idiot. He knew that Todoroki was ready to freeze Bakugou to the flooring of his room to get the answers he wanted. "He's mine." Bakugou finally responded.

"That's not what I want to know," Todoroki growled. Bakugou chuckled, "It's the answer I'm giving ya, Icyhot bastard" The standoff seemed to be getting both of them nowhere. "If you wont tell me, ill just have to force it out of you through other means." Todoroki began melting the ice so he could leave. Once the ice covering the door melted, Todoroki took his leave. "Fuckin' bastard." Bakugou cursed.

A brief memory of the greenete and the sweet taste that crowded every corner of his mouth returned, much less vibrant this time. It was addicting. He began panting with lust and quickly made his way to his own room. Todoroki was hooked. He tried imagining what the angel's voice must sound like, but it was a hopeless endeavor. Nothing he came up with suited the greenete. But the villain, Shigaraki, held onto those chains like his life depended on it. Bakugou too. Maybe it wasn't just him that felt such a way. That wasn't good. The one thing Todoroki wanted in life was just out of his reach. To be able to see him again, he'd do anything. He gripped his ever restricting pants as he locked the door. "Deku" he recalled the name that Bakugou had called the angel. "Deku" he repeated aloud through the drool that dripped from his lips and the heavy pants that escaped his lungs.


	3. Chapter 3

"-oriya... -doriya... Midoriya!" He was being shaken awake by an unknown force. His eyes slowly opened. "Morning, angel." his eyes traveled up to a pair of chapped lips that immediately curled into a smile. "...Shigaraki..." Midoriya's voice as sweet as ever, but always monotone. Shigaraki's eyes churned and revealed a small flame behind his ruby eyes. "I believe I've said to call me, Tomura." He reached through the bars that held the greenete captive. Midoriya noticed the hand reaching towards him from behind his knees. The instant memory floated up to the surface making him flee to the back of the cage with a whimper. "I-I'm sorry, T-tomu" Shigaraki grinned. "That's better, angel" His words dripping once again with possessiveness.

Kurogiri finished cleaning one of the bar's glasses "I think it would be wise to cease this unhealthy obsession you have with Midoriya, Shigaraki Tomura." Shigaraki made a quick turn to face his caretaker. As he walked towards the bar and sat down, Midoriya was left trembling at the back of his cage. "Kurogiri," a voice from the television spoke, "I think the relationship Tomura has with the boy gives him something to work for, something that helps him get through the day. But I also think you shouldn't be so dependent on him." The voice warned, "What if he had suddenly been taken from your grasp?" Shigaraki tried not to yell back his response, "I wont let that happen, Master." The voice from the TV only gave a hum of understanding.

"I'll be in my room, no one bother me." Shigaraki demanded space as he unlocked the cage that held his angel. "Let's go, Izuku" Midoriya slowly exited his containment, watching Shigaraki with open eyes. As if he was a wild animal, Midoriya was observing every nook and cranny for any possible escape. He was jerked forward by the bounds on his wrist. "I said 'let's go, Izuku'." Midoriya could feel his captor eyeing him down as he hesitantly complied. The two left the room, one being more so dragged.

They entered Shigaraki's room and Midoriya was thrown at the unkempt bed, feeling the sheets wrinkle under his weight. Shigaraki chuckled darkly with a smile to match. "Izuku~" He cooed. "I've already claimed your body, Izuku," He crawled towards Midoriya, slightly hovering over him. "But your mind," he paused, "is out of it." Midoriya shuddered. "You're _mine_, Izuku." Shigaraki said through his teeth. "SAY IT!" Midoriya flinched and began shaking in fear of Shigaraki using his quirk as a form of punishment again. Shigaraki moved from the bed and stood up, admiring the trembling greenete through his ruby eyes. "I'm yours, I'm yours, I'm yours," Midoriya repeated over and over, returning the sweet taste in Shigaraki's mouth.

Shigaraki panted as the familiar taste of honey and green tea flooded every corner of his mouth. It was overwhelming his senses. Shigaraki once again creeped towards his obsession. Midoriya's anxiety flew through the roof with every stagger his captor took towards him. Thousands of thoughts passed through his mind with every passing second. "Hehehehe," Shigaraki put his knee on the edge of the bed, the sheets following his movement. "I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you," his mouth gaped open to spill out the words on his mind, all without taking a breath.

Midoriya curled himself into a ball, his knees covered his chest and his arms were held up to cover his mouth as well. "C'mon, Izuku," Shigaraki pleaded, "open up, for me." The last part of his 'plea' sounded more like a demand. Midoriya felt the room's temperature drop with his hesitance. "Don't make me repeat myself, Izuku~" He whispered seductively into Midoriya's ear. Chills flew through his bones like a tremor.

Midoriya slowly removed what was separating his body from Shigaraki's. Shigaraki loomed over Midoriya as if he was prey. "That's better." Shigaraki smiled, less seductively and more satisfied. He moved his head down to Midoriya's neck, taking in the sweet smell. This was what gave his life meaning. After the plans had been put into action and they were back at the bar, when all of his senses were filled to the brim of Izuku, (touch, sound, smell, sight, and especially taste) the world felt at peace. The way his soft hair flowed even in the slightest breeze, the way his eyes were like the finest emeralds, the way his freckles could be seen as stars in a constellation, and the way his voice sounded like the softest melody no matter what tone it took, was all part of his perfection.

When Shigaraki could hold Izuku in his grasp, take in his smell, revel in his taste, hear the soft voice that never dared to refuse him, it made everything he did to catch Izuku worth it. When Shigaraki would tell him to do something, he _always_ did it. Everything around Izuku felt like a dream. Except training him to be so compliant. But those times were long past them and weren't worth resurfacing the memories. Whatever he did to his Izuku during that time, whether he enjoyed it or not, was all a part of Izuku's training.

Shigaraki shook his thoughts away as he soaked himself in the present experience. His chapped lips touched the soft skin of the greenete's neck. He opened his jaw slightly and bit down. Midoriya flinched from the pain that stemmed from his neck. A whimper echoed from his throat as he squirmed and tried to hold onto anything to get him through the experience. As Shigaraki bit down harder, Midoriya gasped and grabbed onto Shigaraki's shirt tightly, almost stretching the material. As soon as Shigaraki felt the iron-like taste flood his tongue, he released his jaw from Midoriya's neck.

Midoriya flopped back onto the covers as he was released. A stinging feeling resided in his new wound as blood dripped all the way down his neck and to the bed, staining the already wrinkled sheets. Shigaraki licked his lip, tasting the iron in Midoriya's blood. "I love your taste, Izuku~" He cooed. "It makes me want more." Midoriya's eyes were close to lifeless, they'd been that way for a while now. Even Shigaraki had taken notice of the changes in energy. For Midoriya's eyes to go back to the shade they were when he'd met him, Shigaraki was willing to do anything.

As the last bit of blood was lapped up by Shigaraki, clothes had already begun being removed until the only clothes they had on were Midoriya's loose white shirt (with the new, darkening stain on his collar) and Shigaraki's boxers. More bites were left on Midoriya along with multiple scratches, bruises, hickies, and fluids.


	4. Chapter 4

Classes resumed as if nothing happened, but of course the attack was all anybody could think about, Aizawa included. Thoughts varied from: "I could've done more" to "Why did I freeze?" and of course the few thoughts of "Who was he?" Everyone had their own problems and worries that echoed within their minds. At the back of the classroom the temperature was much colder than the front, and of course the cause of it was a glaring Todoroki. His eyes bore holes in Bakugou's skull wishing to crack it open for the answers he was refused the night before.

Small shards of ice grew from the ground with every passing moment Todoroki was denied answers. He was becoming more desperate, it made quirk usage much more difficult to control now for some reason. He never had any problem with it before. But now that he had set eyes on the angel, something in him changed. He became more needy, constantly wishing for affirmation or touch or anything that could come from the greenete.

Not knowing where the said "Deku" was tore him apart. His foot bounced on the floor over and over again. The constant tapping he created irritated several of his classmates, but not enough for them to risk a fight with him by asking him to stop. Mr. Aizawa quickly finished his lesson and zipped into his sleeping bag, covering his face all the way. Once the bell rang for lunch, he unzipped himself and walked up to Bakugou's desk.

Bakugou noticed the sudden movement of his normally asleep teacher and tilted his head. "Bakugou," the sleep deprived, straggly haired man asked, "I need to talk to you about the USJ attack." Bakugou questioned his teachers demand but never verbally. As he was escorted out of the classroom and through the hallways, another student followed closely behind.

Aizawa opened the door to the 'Teachers Lounge' as the large lettering on the door exclaimed. Bakugou stepped in, eyeing everything in sight. "Please have a seat." Aizawa gestured to the couch across him. Bakugou did as he was told with a suspicious amount of silence. Aizawa paid no mind to his lack of speech as he began his questioning. "During the attack, I'm sure you saw, there was a hostage," Bakugou twitched, knowing exactly what this was about. "Or at least we assume-" Aizawa was cut off, "OF COURSE HE IS!" The first words Bakugou spoke were in defense of someone that wasn't even in the system. "How do you know?" Bakugou hesitated, wishing he could avoid the topic. "Because I knew him."

Aizawa raised an eyebrow. "We were childhood friends. But towards the beginning of middle school he was..." Aizawa took the hint. "Why do you think he was taken? Do you know his name? What about his quirk?" Aizawa poured questions onto the blonde like a glass of wine. "I don't know why he was taken, but I have a couple guesses," Bakugou fiddled his thumbs, "His name is Izuku Midoriya, and his quirk-" He paused as if he was reluctant to remember that far back, "I need to know, Bakugou. It will help to find him and put loose ends together." Bakugou nodded and continued.

"He's quirkless." Bakugou concluded his speech. Aizawa was even more confused now that he knew the boy had no tactical advantage to him when he was kidnapped. Aizawa recalled something the student had said. "You said you had a couple of guesses, so why do _you_ think he was taken?" Bakugou cursed under his breath. "Deku, that bastard always had a knack for attracting some pretty shitty extras. If he wasn't quirkless, I'd think that was his quirk," Bakugou frowned at the memories that floated in his mind. "He's not new to stalkers and people obsessing over him, even though he's a shitty nerd." Bakugou mumbled the last part, leaving Aizawa guessing.

"There's just... _something_ about him. Something that leaves you wanting more and more." Bakugou began zoning out as he continued his explanation. It passed through Aizawa's head that Bakugou was unusually calm but he shook it off in order to focus. "Maybe its different for everyone but... there's this taste in my mouth," Aizawa cut in, "Taste?" Bakugou nodded and continued once more, "It floods your senses and overwhelms you, getting you hooked. But when he's gone it thins out, and it leaves my mouth. It makes me want more."

Aizawa chose not to bring up his change from "you" to "I". It seemed like the child's innocent looks aren't just what turns crowds. When Bakugou was explaining the feeling Midoriya brought it reminded him, very briefly, of the taste he found blossoming in his mouth as well. He choked back his comment of relatability in fear of actually falling for the green haired minor. 'He isn't even saved yet, so of course nothing would happen. _Right _?' The mess of an adult shook off the unruly thoughts until a later time.

"You're free to go, Bakugou. Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions." Aizawa stood up at the same pace as the blonde. Even though he was allowed to leave, something was keeping Bakugou's feet planted. "When," He began in hopes of changing something, "When the rescue mission happens. Make sure I'm there. I want to be there to rescue Deku." Aizawa wasn't allowed to respond before Bakugou slid open the door and walked through it. 'He looks so mature when he talks about that kid.' Aizawa exited as well, unaware of the third party watching them leave the teachers lounge.

Todoroki made sure to cover up his tracks when he entered and exited the room that was just recently occupied by the top first year student and his teacher. He made sure there was no proof that he used his quirk to break into the room either. Todoroki removed the tape that held the voice recorder under the coffee table. A malleolus smile spread across his face in a way that made his muscles feel the unnatural movement. Leaving the room and locking the door behind him, he headed for the roof. With the voice recorder in hand and headphones in his ears, he listened in on the conversation.

"Izuku Midoriya," Todoroki repeated, much like the night before. "Izuku Midoriya," he repeated once more, feeling his head become fuzzy and his mouth taste sweet. "Izuku Midoriya~" he cooed one last time, clutching his uniform around his heart, feeling the thumping in his chest quicken. "Just a bit more, Izuku~" he panted. "Ill find you soon. Just a bit more." A small drop of drool found its way to the floor as the bell rang signaling the end of lunch. Todoroki being more satisfied in his life then he had ever felt before.


	5. Chapter 5

By the end of the week, most of Todoroki's classmates had noticed the unusual change in personality. It was quite the awkward topic that most had decided to ignore his sudden change in mood. The few that chose to bring it up were of course his teachers. But they weren't the only ones who wanted some sort of reason why the heterochromatic student showed such emotion. Bakugou had been watching Todoroki through the corners of his eyes. Observing each and every gesture, expression, and emotion that would flood his face. It was almost unnerving.

There would be seemingly random moments throughout the week, that Todoroki's face would be flushed with an unnatural amount of blush. Those that saw him everyday couldn't help but feel concerned. Although, Bakugou felt more rage than concern for the fire and ice user. When Todoroki began missing classes though, the teachers were at the end of their patience. When lunch time came on a Friday afternoon, Bakugou was more than happy to bring the absent student the notes he had missed.

By the time lunch came, Bakugou was already on the lookout for Todoroki. He had searched the classroom, the roof, the lunchroom, and a few other classrooms on the floor. He came out empty every time. It was almost as if he left campus every time he skipped class. Bakugou eventually grew tired of using up his free time to find him so he made his way to the nearest bathroom to clean himself up before he ate.

The bathroom door barely made a sound as he swung it open. His feet tapped with every step he took until he stopped at a sink. The running water brought back some memories he wished he could change. Memories of a river that was as cold as he had been and just as shallow too. He hated that memory. If he could see into the future, he would've grabbed that damn hand and never let go. He sighed and put his hand on his forehead as an ever growing headache spread. It wasn't until he heard quick breathing that he turned around.

The breathing was almost inaudible. As he paid more attention to the creepy breathing, he realized it was more the speed of a deep pant. It sounded like someone was sucking in air through their teeth, trying to be ever so quiet.

Bakugou turned off the sink's flow of water. The panting was much clearer now and he could hear a slight moan. His mouth twitched in disgust. Who would ever think of doing something in the school bathrooms. 'That's what happens when you hold it in, buddy' Bakugou thought to himself in order to avoid any attention on his presence. He was beginning to gag as he quickly made his way to the door. He stepped out of the bathroom trying not to ruin his appetite. The word "Izuku~" slid off the student's tongue as if it spoke the words over and over again, as if it was being read off a script.

Bakugou could make out who the voice belonged to, but decided not to interrupt right then and there. Instead he planned to drag them out of class if necessary just to question how they knew his name. Not only that, but how they dared speak his angelic name with their unworthy mouth. He growled as he slammed the door, no doubt scaring the student.

Bakugou walked to the cafeteria and ate. That was all he planned to do. Nothing more, nothing less. As the bell rang like it did everyday, he stood up and this time made his way to the classroom. He made himself comfortable as his classmates filed in and found their seats. Class begun with the bell ringing and the loud mouth of a teacher yelling "CLASS HAS BEGUUUUUUN." It was rather obnoxious but he was less focused on the lesson and paid more attention to the once again empty seat at the back of the classroom. "Tch" Bakugou clicked his tongue.

Once the school day had finally come to a close, the students made their way to the dorms once again. Each student had their own plans and Bakugou sure as hell was one of them. He took the elevator up and walked out, destination in mind. This time the roles were reversed as the Bakugou continuously knocked on Todoroki's door. A brief groan could be heard from the other side of the door. The door swung open but Todoroki made no effort to start a conversation.

Todoroki was resisting any actions Bakugou took to enter his room. "Just say what you want to say then leave, Bakugou," Todoroki scowled, "I was busy." Bakugou scoffed. "Jerking off isn't busywork." Todoroki stepped back a bit in shock, which gave Bakugou the perfect opportunity to push his way into the closed off room. Todoroki was shoved to the wall as Bakugou made his way through. Todoroki growled. "Get out, Bakugou." Bakugou only scoffed in response.

"If you're not going to tell me why you are here, feel free to leave." Todoroki once again, demanded answers. "Never said I wasn't gonna tell your sorry ass why I'm here." Bakugou never took his eyes off him as he bore holes into him like Todoroki did just a few days ago. "Then why?" There was no room for extra conversation here. "Like I said, 'jerking off isn't busywork'."

Todoroki avoided eye contact with the blonde. "Get out." Bakugou chuckled, "got somethin' to hide, Icyhot?" Bakugou moved from the wall and to the bed. There was a tiny lump under the seemingly flat pillow. It's wrinkles curved around whatever was under it. Bakugou eyed it while opting not to drag attention to where his sight was headed.

"If you don't leave now, Ill call for Mr. Aizawa," Todoroki threatened. Bakugou looked back at him, wondering if he would go through with the threat. "Fine" he sighed. Todoroki turned around in relief. His feet shuffled on the floor as he made his way to the door. Opening it, he turned back to Bakugou who was scowling. 'He's probably upset he didn't get answers. Guess he understands how I felt.' Todoroki put together. The door didn't make any moves to close while Todoroki kept his foot in front of it. "Tch" Bakugou mouthed as he was escorted out.

Bakugou was watched as he walked to the elevator and took it down to whatever floor he was headed. Todoroki, satisfied with the results, returned to his room, closing the door and locking it once more. With Todoroki's obliviousness, Bakugou left the dorm building and headed back to the campus' school building.

The time was only 5:30 PM, and Aizawa was nowhere close to completing his grading. There was a long and uneventful night ahead of him. That was until the door to the teacher's lounge swung open revealing an angry blonde.


	6. Chapter 6

Midoriya felt something close to a pit in his stomach. He felt as if you could take a pole and it would just go right through him. No matter how hard he tried, it just wouldn't go away. He couldn't even remember why he felt so empty. Heck, he couldn't remember how he got into the situation to begin with. When did he start feeling like this? Like there was no hope.

Deep inside himself, he knew this isn't how things always were. He knew that at one point, nothing could make him give up. Nothing could make him so hopeless. But now, that's all he seemed to feel. Not once did he bother to ask anyone why he felt so lifeless. He wouldn't risk any negative responses that could lead to him being hit or worse.

Just as he was contemplating existence, Shigaraki walked into the room. "Izuku," Midoriya thought he was just getting ready to ask for more of anything from him. "Why are you so... empty?" His raspy voice asked. Midoriya turned around with a look of shock. "W-what?" Shigaraki avoided looking at him in the eyes. "What can I do to make you happy?" Midoriya's mouth opened and hung there, unsure of what he should say. There was barely a moment of silence before Midoriya broke out crying.

This time, instead of blood, sweat, or other...fluids, tears were staining the bed sheets. They flowed past his eyes like a faucet. Shigaraki was quiet until he heard a brief sniffling. His eyes traveled up to see the one he loved, flowing like a sink. He wasn't sure what to do with the greenete, now that Izuku was crying right in front of him.

Hell, Izuku hadn't cried around him since training. He reached out his hand to Izuku, causing him to flinch. "I-I'm sorry, Shi- ah T-tomu," Midoriya cried out, tears flowing faster. Shigaraki recoiled his hand, reluctant to try again. "Where did those eyes go?" He thought out loud. Midoriya moved himself to the back of the bed in an attempt to create some distance between the two.

Shigaraki stood up making Midoriya tremble in the possibilities, but instead of making his way closer to Izuku, he left. Without saying another word, he left the room. It was a mystery to Midoriya. Shigaraki locked the door from the outside, and sat down at the bar.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" The TV voice spoke. Shigaraki nodded. It was already suspicious enough that he left the room that held Midoriya without a smile on his face, but now he was silent. "What do you plan to do now?" Shigaraki thought for a minute. "Change his memories."

The two men that listened to Shigaraki's preaching found themselves speechless. "We need to find one. A player that can change memories. Permanently" They didn't know what to say. There was quite a bit of risk in searching for another member with such a rare quirk.

"I wish I could be of some assistance," the TV spoke, "but unfortunately I don't have such a quirk in my array of powers." Shigaraki's face darkened. "Then we need to find someone who does." Shigaraki tapped his feet and fingers to no designated rhythm. It was an understatement to say he was stressed. "I don't know how much more I can take." Shigaraki admitted.

"His eyes," he looked at his hand, "they're just so lifeless. I want them to go back to when I met him, they were so shiny then. They sparkled in the sun too." Shigaraki stood up and walked to the corner of the room and curled up in a ball. "I need someone to make him forget whatever is keeping him away from me. I need someone to force him if necessary into mental submission. His body is mine, all mine. But his mind is cautious of my presence. I need to change that." Shigaraki was shaking, whether it was from rage or fear was unclear.

'Maybe we just need to keep breaking him?' Shigaraki thought. There was no clear way to help his case, but both men in the room would do anything it took to make him happy. "What if we looked for someone in UA for something of that strength?" Shigaraki shot up at the suggestion by the bar tender. "The sport's festival is coming up soon, that should prove to be a good method of finding someone with the capabilities you seek." The bar tender said, right as always.

Behind the locked door, Midoriya was curled into a ball mumbling something only he could make out. There were many things he couldn't put together, one of which being the single person that was repeatedly there in his fuzzy memories. What were these memories of his? There was... someone. Beneath the delinquent persona, there was something that felt very charming to Midoriya. The features of this said person weren't as easy to make out as his personality.

The memories were actually quite new to him. They hadn't come up before Shigaraki made him cry. Like a trigger of sorts. Even while his eyes poured salty tears, his mouth made a sincere smile. These memories of his were bound to become his only reason for continuing on. These memories... they... brought him hope.

"Hehe" the tears spilled faster and thicker then before. It felt odd to Midoriya, being hopeful and smiling because of it. A headache blossomed in his forehead as he constantly attempted to remember... anything. He was about to give up and fall asleep but, "Kacchan." He smiled bigger than he had in a long time. The name crawled its way to his throat and suddenly was voiced by Midoriya. As if he was trying on the word. "Kacchan." He repeated. The tears in his eyes began with fear, and the tears in his eyes ended as hope. 'Such a funny thing hope is.' He thought to himself as his eyes bloomed a small sparkle.


	7. Chapter 7

Aizawa was all too familiar to the boring parts of the day, which of course included grading. It really was what made his life somewhat normal even if it meant he lost sleep. Spending time in the teachers lounge after school, also meant he could escape any form of distractions such as All Might, the media, and his problem children. So when the blonde he had just talked to, not even two hours ago, swung open the door with a rage stricken face he was less than happy.

"Yes, Bakugou?" Aizawa sighed. Bakugou's hands sparked and began to smoke up the room. "Woah calm down, Bakugou" Bakugou didn't seem to understand what he was doing since his mind was clearly fogged by anger. More than usual. "What happened?" Aizawa gestured once again for Bakugou to have a seat in front of him, which Bakugou complied with. There was a clear struggle within Bakugou's mind, one that could easily end with the school being destroyed, at least partially.

The similarities between a bomb and Bakugou were scary, so what happened to make him have more in common with a nuke? "Fucking Icyhot. Ill kill him myself." Aizawa didn't bring up the degrading nickname as he confronted the blonde. "What did he do?" Bakugou growled. He made eye contact with Aizawa as he silently handed over a voice recorder. Aizawa's eyes widened in hopes it wasn't what it looked like.

"The bastard recorded our conversation and found out Deku's name." Aizawa wasn't blind to the issue here but he couldn't piece together why Bakugou was so angry. "He's been missin' class to go jack off to Deku's name." Piecing things together, he realized what Bakugou was so pissed about. "That's a major accusation, can you prove it?" Aizawa wanted some sort of proof, one that could without a doubt prove his claims. Bakugou broke eye contact as he looked in another direction.

"Course not. Who would go around takin' pictures an shit of other people jacking off." The small flames on Bakugou's palms had died down but not the tension. "Why else would I come to the teacher's lounge, show a voice recorder, and blame Icyhot for pissin' me off?" It was more of an obvious claim to Bakugou than a question. "I get it, Bakugou. But I cant just go off an punish him without any proof. Let's at least listen to the recording before making any wild claims." Aizawa said, placing the machine on the wooden table.

Pressing play on the recorder, Aizawa noticed the complete silence that played back. "You gotta fast forward to 4:32" Bakugou instructed. The seconds on the recorder passed by much faster once they pressed the 'forward' button. And just as Bakugou had said, the conversation between him and the blonde was being repeated back with less than perfect quality. Aizawa sighed and put his fingers up to the bridge of his nose. "Damnit." The reality sunk in. What if Todoroki really was behind this? There could be major backlash. If the school had brought it to his attention, he could get his father involved. God knows that would be an issue. A simple problem such as this one, could evolve into problems with the law.

"This is a breach of privacy. If Todoroki is behind this like you say, there could be some major problems." Bakugou growled. "Where did you even get this?" Bakugou looked back at his teacher, "his room." Aizawa was speechless. Here he was going on about a breach of privacy, and Bakugou had taken something from his classmate's room. "Ugh. I just cant catch a break can I?" Aizawa groaned. The voice recorder was still playing when Bakugou's voice said his name again. "Izuku Midoriya." A picture of the greenete played in his head like a film. It was barely audible, but Aizawa had heard it loud and clear.

Beneath the black clothes, there was a bulge. Aizawa was aware of this as he began doing everything within his power to get the blonde to leave. "Ill deal with it, you need to head back to the dorms and I need to finish grading these papers." Bakugou had a very clear amount of doubt in behind his eyes as he questioned the teacher. "How are you gonna deal with the bastard?" Aizawa was almost at the end of his patience. "Bakugou, I still have a long night ahead of me, please leave. I promise to handle this accordingly." Bakugou remained seated.

Aizawa almost began to beg Bakugou to leave, but he knew that would draw suspicion to him. Instead he decided to go for a more threatening tactic. His hair floated as he activated his quirk on Bakugou. "I said to leave, Bakugou." Chills found their way to Bakugou's spine as he finally obeyed. The door quietly clicked as it was shut. With Bakugou finally gone he could take care of the growing bulge. "Shit."

Bakugou made his way back to the dorms as he was told. No one questioned him when he left and no one sure as hell questioned him when he got back. He locked the door behind him and took the elevator up. If anyone saw him they would be more concerned why he was silent instead of blowing things up. His normal 'explosive' energy had cooled to be more mellow. But beneath that cool exterior, there was a raging storm. He was just to stuck in his own thoughts to be worried about what everyone else was doing.

The door to his room shut with a quiet 'click'. He sighed and fell on his bed. The last week had been hectic and he barely had any time to himself. There was no breathing room. His thoughts were crowed with the greenete he once knew. The scene played over and over again in his head. He could've held on so much tighter to that chain. If he had then-. He shook off the thoughts

Deku looked as perfect as he always had. Even his unconscious body had some sort of charm to it. His hand reached up to his lips as the familiar taste returned, much more washed out than before but still. It made him crack a smile. The memories of their childhood returned once more. An unescapable sweetness spread through his mouth. It was sweeter than candy. But when the thoughts of what he could be going through found their way to his thoughts, he scowled and tightened his fists.

"I promise, Deku. I promise I'll save you. How can I be a hero if I can't even save you?" His arm covered his eyes as he laid on the bed.


	8. Chapter 8

Although Shigaraki seemed to care about how he felt at the time, Midoriya knew it wouldn't last; He was right. The very next day Shigaraki ended up falling back into his abusive ways as quickly as he ended up "caring". Things ended up getting worse and Midoriya found himself in more bandages and gauzes than before. He should be used to the pain by now, but it still hurts. He wondered what ended up setting Shigaraki off in the first place. The bags under his eyes became darker as his restless nights became more frequent. It hadn't been this bad since his torture, which Shigaraki call his "training".

He was never allowed to leave the room without Shigaraki. The room was always cold and the walls were made of brick, much like the rest of the building. His room had no windows which prevented Midoriya from getting even a glance of the outside world. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd been out. He often found himself in the corner of the room hunched into a ball. He would try ever so much to think about something other than this hell, so he ended up allowing his mind to wonder to the memories he had long forgotten over the time spent here. Whether that be days, months, or years, he didn't know. He lost count as well as hope a long time ago.

It seemed no matter how hard he tried, he could never remember faces or looks. Only words and thoughts. He tried to remember if he left anyone behind when he was taken or if he was alone. He tried to remember is he ever fell in love and who the hell these people were to him. The unknown nickname he mumbled the night before stuck with him, echoing and vibrating in his skull. He had no memories of the name, so why was it so familiar?

He was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't even hear the door creak open. Red shoes tapped the wood floor as Shigaraki neared the curled-up greenete. His hand reached out and touched the mop of hair that rested on Midoriya's head. Midoriya flinched at the sudden contact and pushed himself closer to the wall as a form of temporary escape. His eyes widened as he choked on a gasp of air. A collection of chains jingled in Shigaraki's hands; Midoriya understood. Shaking, he extended his hands towards the chains, allowing Shigaraki to attach them to his wrists.

There were multiple times throughout his life in which he wished for a quirk. But when the chains were brought out, the desire for _some_ help in escape would fill his entire being. It was the one thing that he wished for.

A cold sweat formed on Midoriya's temple, hoping nothing too morbid awaited him in the other room. He was practically dragged into the bar and violently thrown to the floor as soon as they passed the doorway. He trembled, afraid of what to do next. The bartender sighed and began scolding Shigaraki. "Some sort of courtesy would be appreciated. Our guest has arrived."

Midoriya's eyes traveled up to meet a pair of ruby eyes, almost as red as Shigaraki's. The man standing in front of him wore black clothes with spiked boots, a red scarf, a white mask, and around a dozen blades attached to different parts of his body. He had a very threatening aura around him, but nothing could be compared to Shigaraki's.

The "guest" as Kurogiri had stated, was staring right through Midoriya's fear consumed eyes. "Lets get started, shall we?" Shigaraki took a seat on a bar stool and held Midoriya's chains tighter as he saw their visitor eying his angel. Midoriya zoned out for most of their conversation and found himself picking at the dirt beneath his fingernails.

"You want me to go along with your childish tantrum?" a raspy voice questioned, each word leaking with malice. "What meaning is there in killing without conviction?" Midoriya looked back at the three villains, each wearing a different look in their eyes. Midoriya barely had time to blink before he was dragged to the floor. He quickly managed to recollect himself and sat up, his hands still bound together.

His eyes widened as he saw Shigaraki, his kidnapper, on the floor with a knife submerged in his shoulder. He looked back at the bartender who was frozen no matter how much he tried to move. 'Must be his quirk' Midoriya thought. Kurogiri mumbled something he made out to be: "Hero killer, Stain." He turned back to the two on the floor with him and stared at "Stain". His eyes sparkled like diamonds in the morning sun.

'Can... can Shigaraki be killed?' He inquired. Both Stain and Shigaraki noticed the sudden sparkle in Midoriya's eyes. Stain shook off the pleasant feeling the greenete gave him unlike Shigaraki who reveled in it. "Heh heh" Shigaraki chuckled, touching the blade encased in his shoulder allowing it to disintegrate. "That's it, Izuku!" Stain jumped back incase Shigaraki attempted to turn him to dust as well. Shigaraki stood back up and rushed right back to Midoriya whos eyes returned to their normal bland murky color.

"C'mon, Izuku! Let me see that look again!" Midoriya began trembling, which the hero killer took note of. Shigaraki turned back to Stain, "so it's you?" his eyes burned with rage. "You're why he lightened up." Midoriya felt a shiver crawl up his spine. "Kurogiri, get him outta' here. We don't need crazy members like him here." The voice from the television opted him to reconsider.

Shigaraki scratched at his already bleeding neck. "Damnit. Damnit. Damnit." he muttered. "IT'S HIS FAULT!" Shigaraki pointed at the hero killer. Stain noticed the vicious atmosphere with the greenete's ability to sweeten a room using only a glance. "I have some unfinished business back in Hosu city I still need to take care of." A portal opened up on command and the guest walked through, taking his leave.

While the fighting slowly calmed down, Midoriya hid out of view from both Shigaraki and the bartender. He could hear the angry scratching from his hiding spot causing him to cover his ears and close his eyes. "What's with that asshole? Trying to take what's mine." Shigaraki yelled. "Someone needs to teach that bastard a lesson." He looked over to the television that portrayed 'SOUND ONLY' on the screen. "Master, let me use the Noumu." A pause, "I will let you use three." Shigaraki grinned, "thank you, Master." The TV turned itself off as another portal was opened, allowing the remaining villains to exit the bar.

Shigaraki felt a cold breeze touch his skin. The sound of wind, traffic, and people was a good enough hint of where he was, but the view really sold it. Unfortunately, Shigaraki was far to concerned with revenge to be admiring something as trivial as a view. They stood on the cold metal of a water tank handpicked by Kurogiri allowing them to view the chaos first hand. A pair of binoculars met Shigaraki's face as he focused on his newly placed Noumu.

At the same time of course, Midoriya still trembling, removed the hands covering his ears realizing the bar was much quieter eyes peaked open as well. His breathing was much faster now due to his fear that Shigaraki was somehow mad at him for hiding. But when he found no one to be seen, he looked around every corner. 'Even the TV's off,' he thought. "Maybe he left... and forgot... to..." he paused midsentence. "Oh my god."

Hope once again bloomed in his chest and his eyes sparkled. He glanced at the door. 'Tap clink...tap clink...tap clink' his feet tiptoed on the floor and the chains were dragged as he walked. The door was locked indicating that they had left. His hand trembled as he reached for the doorknob, afraid of what would happen to him should he discovered. The lock clicked as it was turned. His eyes began watering. It seemed too good to be true.

The door swung open. No tricks. No portals. No Shigaraki. He was free. The cold air bit his skin and wounds but that was irrelevant. He ran out; The door shutting itself with the wind's assistance.


	9. Chapter 9

When Endeavor told his son that he would be coming along with him for "extra training", Todoroki was less than willing to tag along. So how, how did he end up in Hosu city, patrolling the streets, on some random night, and accompanied by his least favorite person in this and every lifetime. Being in the old man's presence is already a test of patience, but now he had to walk around the city as if everything was fine. With all of these people idolizing some random person they've never even spoken to just because they had power, it made Todoroki sick to the stomach. They don't see who he really is, only what is put out in front of them. This city, no this world is flawed.

Todoroki believed with all his heart that he was different. He knew his goal and he worked for it, but these people will fawn over anyone they deem "worthy". It's disgusting. Todoroki sighed, "I wish I never came." The flaming trash in front of him said nothing in response. He only continues stomping on the sidewalk, leaving burn marks as he walked.

Todoroki finds himself zoning out for most of the patrol thinking of different insults he could possibly deliver to his father. A sudden bump pulled him from his ever deserving remarks however. It startled him at first but he figured it was some random citizen. He turned around to scold the stranger to watch where they were going but his comment was stuck in his throat. Even Endeavor stopped walking to tell Todoroki to keep up.

His heterochromatic eyes took in the sight before him. It seemed time had paused. He didn't know what to do or how to react. There, on the ground in front of him, was the greenete he dreamed of every night since the USJ. He looked even worse than the attack but that meant nothing. He still wore that white outfit that showed off the significant difference in hair color, he has scratches _all_ over his body, shackles on his wrists, and was practically covered in bandages. It made his heart squeeze when he thought about what the greenete could've gone through in the time he wasn't there to protect him. "Shoto! Let's go! We still have patrol to do." The words of his father hadn't quite reached his ears. He felt the familiar taste begin to drown his senses. This feeling was even better than at USJ. He could reach him now. Time was so slow. Was this real?

The greenete opened his eyes to reveal small emeralds shimmering in the street lamp's light. Todoroki could feel the heat rise to his cheeks. If he wasn't in love before, those emerald eyes had just given him the biggest reality check of his life. Todoroki briefly managed to bring his soul back to his body as he extended his hand out, offering to help the greenete up. Todoroki thought that this gesture would help get the ball rolling, but to his surprise, Midoriya began trembling.

He immediately felt the guilt begin eating him up. "Ah, I-I'm sorry! I just wanted to help you up." Todoroki stuttered. Midoriya gazed up at Todoroki, taking in each and every unique feature. He felt calmer in a sense but not quite ready to trust the stranger. What if he was working with Shigaraki? Todoroki noticed the slight change in mood and knelt down as if he was proposing, touching the chains and melting them. "My name is Todoroki, Shoto." Todoroki gave a small smile. "Todoroki, Shoto?" Midoriya repeated as his hands felt that much lighter. Todoroki felt a surge of energy through him. All Midoriya said was his name, but it tasted like sugar when he did.

"Shoto we have to finish this block! How long does it take to help someone up?" Endeavor's voice boomed walking to his son. Midoriya observed the polar opposite energy and the hostile mood between the two. On one hand a cold collected teenager, and on the other a hot-headed flame. Even their costumes showed it. 'Wait, costumes? Usually heroes wear costumes. And they said something about patrol -' "Hey, kid! Pump the breaks. Words are just falling from your mouth."

Midoriya looked past Todoroki at the flame hero, finally remembering who he was, "Endeav-" Before he could finish, an explosion cut him off. Chunks of debris fell off the buildings hit and a strong gust of wind followed. All three faced the direction the explosion came from. Dark silhouettes could be seen in the distance with fire spreading across the streets. The shapes looked even more disfigured as they came into view.

Todoroki recognized the grotesque figures as Noumus and felt a shiver down his spine. They were truly something out of a nightmare. The attack on USJ resonated at the back of his mind. His hair flowed in the wind as his thoughts raced. Todoroki turned back towards where Midoriya was, seeing that the spot was empty. "IZUKU!" He yelled in fear of the greenete's safety. It wasn't difficult to spot where he was when a mop of green hair flowed violently in the wind as he ran from the chaos.

"Take care of things here, I'm going after him!" Todoroki yelled back at the considerably confused Endeavor. He took no notice to the yells his father made as he ran after the one who held his heart. It felt so cold without Izuku even if the city was burning behind him. He could see his breath, which he figured was a result of him unintentionally using his quirk due to his worry for Izuku.

Each corner he passed made him even more concerned. He couldn't find the greenete and the longer he ran through alleyways, the more he could hear screams from the streets. What was going on out there? His footsteps echoed between the walls of the buildings. They almost blocked out the brief noise of voices. He decided to follow his gut and turn the corner which would hopefully lead to Izuku.

"You're the one that was with Shigaraki. So what are you doing here? And you know if we clash, the weaker will be culled." a chilled voice asked. "That doesn't matter. I just need to protect him." Todoroki recognized the familiar sweet voice call out to the defense. He peered around the corner at the scene in front of him.

Izuku was standing in front of someone he couldn't make out with his hands in the air, creating a blockade. The first speaker shook Todoroki to his core. It was the hero killer. The famed hero killer Stain was holding a sword and a knife to his precious Izuku. There seemed to be another body on the floor along with the one Izuku was defending, probably someone the hero killer was trying to eliminate.

He was burning with rage. The audacity Stain had to raise a weapon to someone so special. "I'm not going to fight you, kid" Todoroki took it back. Maybe there was some hope in him after all. But he would never forgive him for threatening Izuku like that. "I have a deal with that childish prick, and you seem worth saving. Also, there's just something about you that's very pleasing. No wonder that ass had you all cooped up. I mean look at the shape you're in!" Stain made a movement with his hand, gesturing to Izuku.

"Your clothes are all tattered, you're all bruised and scratched up, the bags under your eyes indicates that you haven't slept in probably months, and just look at that black eye of yours. You're a mess. You barely have the energy to stand, yet you're putting up a fight with someone who is far more skilled than you. You are a true hero. And you are the only one that is going to survive this fight." Stain ended his monologue with a knife thrown at Izuku.


	10. Chapter 10

The fire behind the Noumus gave them an even more frightening aura. To anyone who's never experienced these monsters would think they seemed like nightmare fuel, but to Midoriya they looked like henchmen who were sent out to retrieve him. He didn't want to go back but if he was caught he would likely go through that torture again. He was afraid. Each and every Noumu had been trained to catch him if he had ever gotten out. It gave Shigaraki some peace of mind incase that worse case scenario came to be.

'He knows. He knows. He knows!' Midoriya teared up again, the salt water felt heavy on his eyelids. "I cant go back!" Midoriya picked himself off the floor and ran the opposite direction. The fear he felt gave him enough energy to run through the alleyways for a short time. The concrete ripped and scratched the bottom of his feet but it was nothing compared to what he would have to endure, should he be caught.

He tripped and bumped into things along the way but that would never stop him from running. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears and his breathing seemed too fast for him to handle. It didn't take long for him to run out of energy and when his lack of sleep finally caught up to him, he would use the concrete walls to keep him up. It was so quiet and cold. He felt himself shiver. His breathing was still rushed no matter how much he tried to slow it; He couldn't figure out why until his legs gave out.

He clutched his shirt as air left and entered his lungs faster than he could think of what to do. He was hyperventilating. 'Can't breathe. Can't breathe. Can't breathe!' It felt so painful. He couldn't get a good breath of air. Still though, his desperation to escape devoured his need for rest. He forced himself to stand back up and continue running. "Keep... going..." he muttered. Just as he was about to change directions, a voice around the corner screamed. Even if his gut told him to avoid conflict, his heart told him to protect whoever was in danger; So without thinking, he turned the corner and was horrified with the scene in front of him.

Two people wearing what seemed to be hero costumes, on the floor, unable to move, bleeding, and one even had a sword submerged in his shoulder. It terrified him to see the similarities between this and the attack on Shigaraki. Not only were the bodies placed the same way, but the attacker as well. Before his eyes stood Stain, the first person to give him hope in a long time. He had some respect for him but not enough to justify attacking innocent people.

Midoriya watched as Stain raised his sword to finish one of the strangers off. As fast as he could run and without thinking, he jumped in between the sword that was quickly coming down and the mechanical looking hero. He closed his eyes tightly as he prepared for the pain. One second, then two, then five. He peaked his eyes open. The sword had stopped right in front of his chest and behind it, Stain was glaring right at him.

The voice behind him spoke, "get out of here! This doesn't concern you!" Midoriya didn't move. "Another interruption" Stain muttered observing the greenete, finding something awfully familiar about him. 'That kid. He's the one that Shigaraki held captive. How'd he get here?' Stain pieced things together. "You're the one that was with Shigaraki. So what are you doing here? And you know if we clash, the weaker will be culled." Stain hissed. "None of that matters. I just need to protect him." Midoriya felt his spine freeze. He was scared.

Stain looked taken aback. "I'm not going to fight you, kid. I have a deal with that childish prick, and you seem worth saving. Also, there's just something about you that's very pleasing. No wonder that ass had you all cooped up. I mean look at the shape you're in!" Stain made a movement with his hand, gesturing to Midoriya.

"Your clothes are all tattered, you're all bruised and scratched up, the bags under your eyes indicates that you haven't slept in probably months, and just look at that black eye of yours. You're a mess. You barely have the energy to stand, yet you're putting up a fight with someone who is far more skilled than you. You are a true hero. And you are the only one that is going to survive this fight." Stain ended his monologue with a knife thrown at Midoriya.

Of course he expected Midoriya to dodge as a natural reaction, leaving the fake vulnerable, but he didn't. He was willing to die for some stranger. Midoriya once again closed his eyes as tight as he could in fear. Out of seemingly nowhere, it seemed much colder than when he was just running around. 'Am I dead?' He thought. His eyes opened. He breathed a breath of pure relief, which visibly floated in the air. A wall of ice was protecting him against the thrown knife.

His knees buckled under him. The blue and white color scheme was breathtaking. More ice formed under him creating a slope that slid both heroes and him toward the Quirk user. The voice he recognized as the mechanical hero spoke in surprise, "Todoroki? What are you doing here?" Todoroki never took his eyes off the direction where the hero killer resided, "saving your sorry ass, Iida. And fetching something that belongs to me."

Over the next five minutes, Todoroki only released ice attacks which would be immediately countered and broken to shards. It baffled Midoriya why he wasn't changing tactics and using his fire since the ice clearly wasn't working. He dragged himself up to Todoroki, which he found rather difficult with the ice still under him, and balanced himself on the nearby wall. "You need to use your fire, Todoroki-kun!"

Todoroki turned towards him with rage in his eyes. "I'm not using that damn old man's power!" Another batch of ice was released and cut to chunks just as quickly. "Todoroki-kun-" he pleaded but was cut off, "GET BEHIND ME!" Midoriya swallowed the fear in his chest and ignored the demand. The yelling brought back some unsettling memories that he closed off as quickly as possible, for Todoroki's sake. "It's your Quirk! Your Quirk, not his!"

Todoroki was shaken up as a large fire erupted from him, easily reaching heights the buildings around them couldn't hope to compete with. Once again chunks of ice flew to the floor as Stain broke through. The fire waiting for him on the other side startled him since all Todoroki used was ice. Even with the fire, Stain easily adapted to Todoroki's new fighting style, and it didn't take long for Stain to overpower him once again. "You depend too much on your Quirk. It makes you a careless fighter." Stain rushed Todoroki with his sword ready to cut him in half. That was until the blue-haired hero stood up and kicked Stain in the gut, breaking the sword along the way.

Midoriya stood in awe of the Quirk users in front of him. They were so powerful. It made his eyes glimmer. These two... they really did look like heroes. "Amazing." Todoroki slightly turned his head towards the greenete and blushed. _Shing, _the sound of a knife being thrown past his cheek. The skin opened and blood flowed down his chin. 'Izuku really is my weakness.' Todoroki admitted to himself. At the same time, he ignited his flames, to create some distance between the attacker and him.

Not only was the temperature of the fire getting to Stain, but the heat of the situation was as well. With the first beacon of fire released, Pros surely noticed and were on their way to investigate. With a suitable distance from Stain, Todoroki created a wall of ice, focusing solely on creating thicker ice. As his ice was keeping Stain busy, Todoroki turned to Iida and instructed him to take the feathered hero out of the area with him and inform any Pros of the situation.

Iida of course was hungry for revenge still and opted to disobeyed Todoroki's order. Todoroki was not having it. The mere look in his eyes was enough to scare Iida into submission. "What about him? I might be able to carry him as well" Iida pointed to Midoriya who was using a nearby wall for support. "Ill take care of him! You focus on escaping and calling for backup." Todoroki had decided long ago that he wouldn't let the greenete out of his sight for even a second.

The feathered hero was placed on Iida's back before he took off, using his Quirk to get him farther, faster. With them already long gone, Midoriya began hyperventilating once again, his knees shaking as he tried his best to stay standing. Todoroki continuously sent waves of ice, attempting to stall the attacker at the very least. With on eye on his ice and the other on Midoriya, he could see the emerald stumble and fall to his knees before the rest of his body hit the floor. "IZUKU!"

Todoroki paused everything he was doing and rushed to Midoriya's aid. The ice that Todoroki was trying so hard to keep up, was shattered. A raging Stain stood angrily a the top, swords in hand. The speed he traveled now was almost three times faster than before. He seemed more desperate to finish the two off, but noticed they were already gone. He growled before rushing back at Todoroki.

Todoroki felt a wave of wind pass by him as Stain attacked. It all happened in the period of a few seconds. Todoroki felt a shock through his whole body before he fell to the ground. His eyes widened in horror. He couldn't move; Not a single muscle. Stain knew he had no time to be walking around and waiting for answers as he picked up Midoriya's unconscious body and leaned it on the wall, as if he was sitting. His white clothes were stained with dirt and blood.

Stain slid out a knife from the side of his leg and put the blade against Midoriya's throat. "NO!" Todoroki cried out, eyes already watering. "LEAVE HIM ALONE! PLEASE! ILL DO ANYTHING!" Stain pressed the knife to his skin harder, drawing blood. "Tell me where they are. "His scratchy voice called out.


	11. Chapter 11

"NO!" Todoroki cried out, eyes already watering. "LEAVE HIM ALONE! PLEASE! I'LL DO ANYTHING!" Stain pressed the knife to his skin harder, drawing blood. "Tell me where they are." His scratchy voice called out.

Todoroki clearly struggled with what was a better decision. On one hand he could take down Stain once and for all by either waiting for the Pros to show or bluffing his way through this problem, or he could give away the location of his classmate and the hero to protect his true love. Stain took notice of Todoroki's hesitance and pressed the blade against the innocent greenete even harder. It shocked both Stain and Todoroki when the fire and ice user began crying.

"Look's like you too are under this kid's control." Stain couldn't figure this kid out. What could cause so many people to become enamored with him? "Did you even think for a second that those feelings for him could be the result of his quirk." Todoroki growled. "One would think, right?" Stain tilted his head. "It cant be his quirk." Stain rolled his eyes "And how would you kno-" "BECAUSE HE'S QUIRKLESS!" Stain lowered his knife ever so slightly. "Wha-" Stain was cut off as he was pushed to the ground rather roughly.

Todoroki's eyes widened. He didn't expect to shock the hero killer after all. But when Stain suddenly fell to the ground, he was even more confused. As soon as his eyes adjusted he processed the scene. The infamous hero killer Stain was on the ground with a dog pile of heroes on top of him, weighing him down. A deadly growl erupted from Stain's throat. "I'll kill you all! You fakes!" Stain tried desperately to wiggle his way out but to no avail.

"Focus on keeping him down so we can apprehend him!" One of the heroes instructed. Stain was incredibly strong, but not strong enough to lift over 700 pounds worth of hero. The one that gave out the instructions was also the same one that worked on cuffing Stain. "Kid, go help that one over there!" A second hero spoke, referring to the victim not to far from the hero killer and his weights. Todoroki gasped, disappointed that he didn't remember sooner.

A series of groans and growls could be heard behind Todoroki as he rushed back to the greenete. He couldn't believe that he was allowed to be this close to someone so perfect, and actually found it quite difficult to keep his panting in check. The scene behind him meant nothing when he had this angel within his reach once and for all. Once he processed the situation at hand though, he found it much easier to concentrate. He focused mainly on finding if there was anything physically wrong with him such as open wounds and potential broken bones, but besides the fresh slice on his throat nothing was visibly wrong with him, except of course the mysterious bruises and bandages littering his velvety soft skin, as if this was something that would occur frequently.

Todoroki picked the greenete up in his arms, feeling the tingling sensation become a flow of stimulations and the taste in his mouth overflow. Oh god it was addicting. How could something like this even exist in such a world? The greenete's breathing had finally slowed with his unconsciousness. He looked so peaceful, it gave Todoroki another wave of possessiveness. Todoroki cradled Midoriya in his arms, bridal style, finally being given the chance to observe every part of his face. "Hah... hah... finally got 'em" The voice of one of the heroes pulled him from his thoughts.

Stain was unconscious as well in an upright position with ropes snaking their way around his whole body. The reason why he was unconscious was unknown but Todoroki figured it was due to the lack of oxygen he was given with multiple heroes crushing his airway and lungs. But that was the least of his concerns. The heroes focused on getting Stain out of the alleyway and into custody, while Todoroki was set on protecting the angel in his arms until he returned back at UA.

Once they finally exited the shady alleyway, the second place hero, Endeavor was just arriving as well. "It was just headed over here. Did you see it?" the flame hero asked, clearly being rushed. The group of heroes shook their heads with no clue of what he was talking about. "Is that the hero killer?" Endeavor asked, pointing at the tied up villain. Todoroki walked in front of the group, still holding onto Midoriya for dear life. "And that kid from earlier? What the hell's going on here?"

A growl from the sky interrupted the interrogation Endeavor was hosting and instead struck fear into the bystanders' hearts. A drop of blood splattered on one hero's cheek causing her to flinch. "What the hell!?" one cried out, "Did it escape here after being wounded?" another questioned out loud. Most of he heroes took a fighting stance, ready to protect as the winged monster flew downwards to the group. Endeavor was especially ready to end this once and for all. That was until the Noumu made a quick swoop to the group and snatched Midoriya straight from Todoroki's arms. The Noumu was making its escape with the still unconscious greenete, fulfilling its training.

Todoroki's heart dropped as everything around him felt cold and empty again. He despised it. That sweet taste turned sour and he subconsciously released a giant batch of ice in an attempt to catch the monster without harming Midoriya, which did not work. The Noumu avoided the ice, flying above it and flew even faster back to the base. The sound of gasps and screams for the monster to come back easily covered the 'skink' of knives as the hero killer stood back up and began sprinting.

While one of the lesser known heroes stood frozen, Stain rushed past her, licking the line of blood dripping down her cheek, instantly stunning the flying Noumu. Todoroki saw the monster begin falling from the sky as quickly as gravity pulled it down, but Stain seemed much faster as he sprinted up the ice created and jumped on the Noumu, stabbing it directly in the brain. Any wounds to the brain like that could kill any creature, monster or not. Stain rode the Noumu as it fell even faster to the ground. "Izuku!" Todoroki reached out an arm as he too ran like his life depended on it.

By the time the Noumu crash landed, Todoroki was close enough to Midoriya that he could wrap the greenete in a protective embrace. And he did just that. The fall from that height should've given Midoriya worse wounds than it did, but Todoroki was just happy that he was safe and still breathing. It was a wonder how he was still unconscious after all that, but if he was, he must've gone through some crazy shit or hasn't been able to sleep. Maybe both.

Stain briefly turned to the greenete and the obsessive hero that smothered him, consistently checking to see if he had any wounds. Stain growled as he looked back to the people before him. How dare they call themselves heroes. Todoroki was crying again. He wasn't sure when it started, but he didn't care when he remembered the angel's life being thrown around like sand. Not only that, but how it was so easy for something so vile to steal something so perfect from him.

There was a bit of commotion behind him, but he couldn't care less. After all, the trash that was his father was dealing with the hero killer and he was dealing with making sure someone who was obviously dragged down from heaven was alright. He dragged his hands across Midoriya's skin praying nothing was wrong. Over and over again, the number of times he checked gave him no satisfaction, not when he had already begun removing the surplus of bandages. With his fire to give off some sort of light, Todoroki found the reason for such covering. Midoriya was coated with countless scars and parts of his body the color of ash. The wounds were obviously in the process of healing but Todoroki would never forgive anyone who would lay their hands on him.

Todoroki wasn't aware yet but he was shaking. Shaking so violently that he felt cold. He felt that the area was frozen over somehow. He was so afraid and angry at the same time. He could lose the one thing in his life that held significant meaning, and yet he wanted to burn anyone alive who even considered approaching Midoriya. "...Shoto." The voice of his shitty father dragged him out of his thoughts. Todoroki turned to face the flame hero only to find his insult trapped in his throat. The hero killer Stain was impaled on a very large ice spike, one of many that found themselves growing through the cracks in the road and buildings. The spikes were littered all over the place, even cutting a few of the heroes who just managed to dodge them. Todoroki tightened his hold on Midoriya.


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning wasn't as comfortable or homey as Todoroki would have liked and he didn't get much sleep, but it was better than going home and being separated from the greenete. The thought of him made Todoroki feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He yawned and stretched his arms towards the hospital ceiling in an attempt to wake himself up faster. He gazed towards the analogous clock that illuminated the desk it sat on. The bright red numbers read: 5:34 AM. It was still quite early so he didn't expect Izuku to be awake any time soon but when he turned his head to find an empty bed, his heart dropped. This feeling of pure dread was new to him but there seemed to be multiple recent occurrences whenever Izuku wasn't around.

The white drenched room quickly turned a light crystal blue as ice spiked their way from the floor to the ceiling. "Izuku?" Todoroki whispered in hopes that the other was awake somewhere in the room. His mind began to wander with the silence that followed his whisper. 'What if another Noumu came back to finish the job? What if he's back in that villain's grasp? What if he's suffering right now? What if he was crying for help and I was wasting time sleeping?' Todoroki desperately wished Midoriya was safe and still in the hospital. That was all he could do until he found him.

Ever since the fight ended, Todoroki hasn't left Midoriya's side and still has yet to truly admire his shiny emerald eyes. The rising panic attack he was hosting was quickly bubbling to the surface. He could barely breathe with the cold surrounding him and his fears of the worst. With his shaking knees and large scale determination, Todoroki stood up and began unfreezing the door. He had to keep calm until he really knew that Midoriya was gone.

Once the hinges of the door had unfroze, Todoroki swung the heavy wood out of his way. He was about to storm out of the room but, a small nurse stood in his path. The room he was in was still dark unlike the hallway that the nurse stood. Todoroki's breath was stuck in his lungs as he waited for one of them to do something. He silently observed the small nurse. She had short brown hair that seemed to make her blue eyes pop. Her nurse's uniform was nothing new. It was standard white and- .

Todoroki's eyes gazed past her outfit and towards a stretcher that the nurse was holding onto. "Ah-" Todoroki hummed. Removing her hand from the makeshift bed and looking up from her clipboard, the nurse noticed the half and half user in front of her. "Did I wake you? Sorry about that." Todoroki was about to respond, but she was already ahead, "Excuse me." She waited until the moved out of the way before she made her way into the room, stretcher and truly green patient following close behind, lacking her hand actually pulling it.

"He just needed some extra testing to make sure nothing was internally wrong. Unfortunately he had some internal bleeding, but we took care of that. He had some extreme blood loss, a few broken bones, and we aren't quite sure about the parts on his body that were... charred?" She herself seemed confused about the wounds. "But we had the best healers on staff taking care of him so there should be nothing to worry about. The only troubling thing left is the unknown factor of how he received such injuries." Todoroki just sat and listened to her monologue, taking in everything that happened to such an angel.

"Don't get me wrong, I would usually be telling this to an adult or his caretaker, but he doesn't seem to have one at the moment." The nurse looked up again from her clipboard, "and you refused to leave his side since he got here. Maybe even before. Excuse me." Todoroki moved as far out of the way as he could in the small room, giving the nurse room to move the patient. She looked back down to her clipboard as she continued to explain what was wrong with his body; Inside and out. While this was happening though, she moved her free hand, a blue hue surrounding it and reflecting off her eyes. Midoriya was lifted off the crunchy stretcher and easily placed onto the softer bedding.

"Now listen closely to this." Todoroki gave the nurse his full attention as he prepared for her to tell him anything he needed to know. "He's still unconscious and has been for-" she gazed at the clock, "ten hours. He's likely to stay that way for a couple days. He will need to remain here for that time and even a few days after he wakes up." Todoroki had his mouth glued shut. "He's highly sleep and nutrition deprived. He _needs_ to be medically treated. His body is foregoing some high levels of stress and he needs to be in a safe place until he is stable. The only thing we can do for now is treat his body until he wakes up. Then we can work on his mental stress."

She walked over to the door, closing it and turned on the lights before returning to the side of the unconscious patient. "If you would just look here." Todoroki stood up and followed the arm of the nurse towards where she was pointing. "His roots are coming in greyish-whitish. It's not unusual for humans to go through the aging process faster when they submit themselves to higher levels of stress such as children, studies, or anything else that might be troubling them. But for someone of his age to be 'going grey' now, is terrifying. He would've had to gone through a highly traumatic event, maybe even more than one to equal this result. Once he wakes up, he's sure to go through a period of panic. I assume you were with him before he was brought here?" Todoroki nodded. "Then you need to be here when he wakes up." The feeling of Izuku physically needing his presence made a new taste spread on his tongue.

"With you here and him knowing who you are, makes his 'panic period' or the process of uncertainty he'll endure once he wakes, much easier to control. With you serving as a beacon of safety, he'll recover much faster. But that also puts an immense amount of responsibility on your shoulders, which I don't want to do. You still have school and a life of your own to think about and I don't want to interrupt your bright future. Chances are I'll find an adult who was there at the time to act as that-" "I'll do it" Todoroki interrupted. He had been respectful for her whole speech, but he wanted that responsibility, no he _needed_ it. He wanted the angel to want him just as much.

The nurse nodded, concluding her speech and voicing of concerns, allowing Todoroki to speak. "Thank you, Nurse." There was nothing else he could think of. She only nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her.


	13. Chapter 13

Stain was being carried out of an alleyway by an extra hero. There seemed to be a couple victims the hero killer got to, but they were alive; Scratched up pretty badly, but alive. Shigaraki guessed the pros got to him before he could finish the job. A green blur made Shigaraki tear his vision from the hero killer to what he thought was just a hallucination. With his binoculars pressed to his eyes, Midoriya could be made out in the presence of the multiple heroes including the number two flame hero, Endeavor. The green hue that Midoriya released grabbed Shigaraki's attention. He was being carried bridal style by a shorter hero. They looked to still be in school. A trainee maybe? One of the other victims looked to be the same age.

But the age wasn't what Shigaraki was concerned with. The nasty hands that the half red half white kid had, were touching his angel. A fresh wave of possessiveness dripped with every angry breath he took. The taste of poison was back on his tongue as he shakily reached his hand up to his neck, beginning the process of scratching his throat raw. "Kurogiri, Izuku's here." The purple mist that represented his face twisted in confusion. "Are you certain?" Shigaraki growled a yes, handing the binoculars over to his caretaker.

The misty hands took ahold of the binoculars Shigaraki had offered him as he peered through them himself. It took a second to find the greenete in the group of heroes, but he was there all right. "Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!" Shigaraki began another tantrum as his words laced themselves with pure malice. Kurogiri wasn't quite sure what to do in this situation. He could warp down there and get him, but a large group of pro heroes awaited him. Not only that, but there were other unknowns like the Quirks of the two students that managed to survive the attack from Stain. How could he help?!

"We need to get him back!" Shigaraki scratched his neck harder, revealing lines of blood only to be scratched away again. "How'd he get out?! DO SOMETHING!" Kurogiri was lost. How- . Just then his eyes caught glimpse of something new. A grey blur above the heroes. He quickly zoomed in to the fast moving object. A Noumu! "Fear not, Shigaraki. Our problems have been solved." Shigaraki was mouthing out a 'How?' before he saw the Noumu himself. "Hehehehehe" Shigaraki chuckled through his teeth. "Gotcha."

Kurogiri created a portal, anticipating the villain's desire to return back to HQ. It was a well-known fact that Noumus were taught to hunt down Midoriya if he'd ever escaped and kill anyone that tried to stop them. They were the knights in this game of chess. With their abilities to jump over anything that tried to defeat them and instead destroying their targets, Noumus were truly an impressive piece. The only place they were unanimously weak was the- . Just then, Stain woke up, escaped his bondage, climbed the roaring wave of ice, and stabbed the brain of the Noumu that had just taken Midoriya back from the heroes.

"CHEATER!" Shigaraki screamed. "I'LL KILL HIM!" Shigaraki was seriously considering going down there himself, which he knew would be a suicide mission, "STAIN KNEW HE WAS MINE!" Kurogiri flinched. "Let us go back to the bar and see if he's truly gone." Shigaraki stormed through the portal and was brushed with warm air. "IZUKU!" Shigaraki screamed once again. The TV was still off so Master had not found out yet. The bar was silent. Not even an echo dared to voice itself. The floorboards creaked as Shigaraki once again stormed to his room, finding it unlocked. His hand recoiled itself. He hadn't locked Izuku in his room.

He ran to the front door, finding it also unlocked. His breathing was just as shaky as his hands and knees. A storm circled within his blood red eyes. A dangerous one at that. "Get Master on the other line." Kurogiri showed no hesitance as he turned the TV on and set it to 'sound only'. "DAMN IT!" Shigaraki bellowed out one last scream before the TV blipped on. "Yes, my boy?" The TV sounded incredibly static indicating bad connection. "He… escaped." His breath still as shaky as it had been in the first place. All was quiet.

"What do you want to do?" It was an obvious answer, but All for One still wanted Shigaraki to vocalize his desires. "Get him back." There was no shaking this, and both men knew this. "Shigaraki, I can see you're stressed, please don't hesitate to destroy the building if that's what you desire." Shigaraki certainly did not hesitate as he threw a barstool across the room, hitting the wall and smashing it to pieces. The stool was only partially disintegrated, but it was beyond repair. Shigaraki did this with the rest of the bar stools as he rode out is rage.

The other two remained silent for the boy's tantrum. Once Shigaraki had finished his violent assault on the chairs, he panted an apology for his outburst and excused himself to his room where he resumed his breaking of objects to calm his anger. The other two outside of the room silently discussed any further actions. Shigaraki knew there was no word to describe how he felt, but pissed was a good start. His breathing was rapid and his desire for blood was violent. He wished he could use Izuku to vent his rage as he had done before, but that was exactly why he was so angry.

There were multiple attempts to distract himself, but the desire for the greenete grew with every attempt. He tried to play games of all genres, he tried to scratch his neck until he bled, and he tried sleeping, but none of them worked. With each distraction, a memory of the greenete followed. If he was playing games, Izuku would be there in his lap or as his pillow, same as when he tried to sleep, and when he tried to scratch his neck Izuku would always be a much more satisfying outlet.

The mellowed out taste memories of the greenete would bring, would usually be enough for Shigaraki to finish what he was doing, but now it tasted like poison. It was bitter, rotten, and made him want to throw up. He even gagged a few times. Bitter. Bitter. SO BITTER! He spat out any saliva on his tongue in an attempt to rid the taste, but the bitterness remained. He _needed_ to get him back.


	14. Chapter 14

It had already been two days, and Izuku had not yet woken up. Todoroki was permitted to stay in the hospital with the greenete until he been discharged, but that seemed further away than anyone wanted to admit. Nurses would frequently filter through the room, mostly doing tests and taking down notes if there were any abnormalities. Which there never were. His heartbeat was normal along with everything else. Aside from the physical marks and scars on his body, there was nothing to be worried about. The nurses would constantly remind Todoroki that it was going to be okay and that the patient was catching up on long term sleep loss. But Todoroki couldn't help but worry.

Aizawa visited once to check on his student and review what he was missing. They talked outside of the room, per Todoroki's request. Aizawa was given a run down by Todoroki, the police, and the other two that were caught in the cross fire. Holding down his fury with Iida, Aizawa was told who was also at the attack, and who was being cooped up in the room Todoroki refused to be more than ten feet away from. Todoroki would tell him when he was ready. God forbid a fight breaks out over an unconscious patient.

Other than trying to make some sense of why two of his students were in the hospital, he was fairly bored and left without any trouble. Todoroki hasn't seen his classmate since the check-in, which he didn't mind. They weren't close at all, and the only worry he felt for the engine classmate was out of respect. Meals were brought to the room, which were always bland. He would usually pass the time by watching the greenete, fantasizing about what he would do when once he woke up.

Todays meal was just as bland as the day before. A dish consisting of potatoes, orange juice, and a salad. The small television hanging on the wall was only turned on to tune out Todoroki's thoughts. The plastic remote made small taps whenever it would make contact with the side table holding the remains of Todoroki's food. He was quickly getting bored of the surrounding area, but one look at the greenete, and all of his irritability seemed to vanish. Almost like magic, the room would seem to light up with his presence. It was... refreshing.

A sudden sliding sound made Todoroki loose all focus he had in the drama on screen, and was given to the nurse walking in to take the empty dishes. Todoroki stood up and picked up the glass, gesturing for her to take it from his hands. The plain nurse grabbed hold of the plate and smiled, "Hello?", but a voice behind the fire and ice user made both of them drop the plate. The sudden loud sound made the greenete begin to tear up. "I-I'll be right back!" The nurse hurried out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

The creamy skin, the dotted constellations, the emerald eyes. Izuku was awake. "U-um" Izuku shook, alerting Todoroki of his uncomfortable state. Light taps were drowned out by Todoroki's explaining as he made his way over to the hospital bed. "Don't worry, you're safe." Izuku clenched the blanket that covered him. "We're in a hospital right now, and you've been here for a little under seventy-two hours. My name is Shoto Todoroki, if you don't remember."

"Y-you were there that night, right?" Izuku muttered, keeping his head low. Todoroki nodded and pulled a chair up to the bed. "How are you feeling?" Todoroki gave a small smile, showing that everything was going to be alright. "I-I don't know. I'm in pain, but I-it's different than before. Somehow." Izuku clenched the blanket much tighter, tears forming in his eyes. "I-I" the tears flowed down his cheeks, "I'm sorry. I just don't understand what's going on." He reached his hands up to wipe the tears, but new ones soon covered. Todoroki's heart clenched at Izuku's pain. He wished he could just absorb it, like Izuku did for him.

A moment later the nurse returned, doctor at her side. The doctor stood at the foot of the bed, asking how he felt. The nurse stood next to Todoroki, silently watching. While the doctor reviewed the situation to his patient, Izuku was visibly shaking. Todoroki didn't need any signaling from the doctor to be told to comfort Izuku. He slowly reached towards Izuku's shoulder, releasing a warm temperature from his left hand. It was slightly comforting, but not enough. He moved his hand to the back of his neck, still emitting warmth from the left side of his body.

A new sense of calm washed over Izuku. The human heating pad scooted closer to him, closing the space between them. It was strange, but Izuku wanted this hero to continue giving him this support. He consciously made a ballsy move and reached for Todoroki's hand. As soon as he made contact with his cool skin though, he immediately retracted and apologized. He held his hands firmly in his lap, silently listening to the man in front of him. He felt a sense of loneliness, but it immediately was washed away when Todoroki grasped his hand, giving a soft squeeze of reassurance. Izuku blushed at the contact, but turned his focus to the doctor, letting him finish.

"We will do a psyche evaluation once you get more comfortable with your surroundings. Don't worry. Todoroki here will be remaining here with you until you are discharged." The doctor handed his clipboard to the nurse and walked out, shutting the door behind him. The room was silent, both waiting for the other to say something before Todoroki took the initiative. "I'm sure you're feeling a lot of things right now and you probably aren't quite comfortable yet. So just tell me if you need some space." Izuku nodded. "Ah! I haven't told you my name yet! I-I'm sorry. That was rude of me." The greenete mumbled almost incoherently. "My name is Izuku Midoriya." He extended out a shaky, IV infiltrated arm.

Todoroki smiled, taking the hand extended out to him, "Shoto Todoroki. But you know that already." A brief smile could be seen from the patient. It filled Todoroki with euphoria. "I-I hope we can become good friends, Todoroki-kun." Another budding of the new taste in Todoroki's mouth could be found. "Please, call me Shoto." Todoroki insisted. "I'll do my best, Shoto-kun." This person. How could he ever part with him? There was more to this than Todoroki had expected. The dream of a future filled with sugar encouraged him to do anything to protect this person.


	15. Chapter 15

'Tick' 'tick' 'tick'. The ticking of the wall clock meant as much to Todoroki as his father did. The concept of time was irrelevant when Izuku was near. He often found himself smiling and laughing more frequently than he had in years. Even his cheek muscles were getting sore after about a day. The first few hours were quite awkward with the uncomfortable silence, but when a hero popped on screen, Izuku just lit up. He went on rants about how cool heroes looked now and how he couldn't remember the last time he had seen a hero. Todoroki obviously felt a ball of sadness in his stomach but, "I'd say that seeing you would be my first real sighting of a hero," Izuku's words seemed to chip away at any doubt he had. He knew that this person in front of him, they just had to be, an angel. That was the only explanation he could give. This angel had been torn from heaven by Shigaraki's grotesque clutches.

"Thank you, Todoroki!" The greenette smiled rays of sunshine that even the heavens would be jealous of. Izuku sat up and scooched to the edge of the bed, feet hitting the floor. On command, Todoroki also stood up, ready to catch him if he tripped or fell. Izuku hadn't been wearing or even been given a pair of shoes yet, so his bare feet hit the cold floor. It was honestly quite graceful, how Izuku had placed his scarred feet on the marble. And how he stood up, presenting himself in such a fashion, Todoroki swooned all over again.

Izuku had one hand gripping the bottom of the shirt and the other was holding on to the cloth around his neck, his knees were slightly shaking likely from stress, and his feet were pointed directly at Todoroki. There was a hint of confidence in his voice, but his posture signaled nervousness. Todoroki's mouth was slightly curved in a small smile. Izuku tried taking a step forward, but tripped. Todoroki acted quickly, swooping in to catch Izuku by the arms.

Todoroki was still standing in front of Izuku but his hands were holding onto the greenette's upper arm, stabilizing him. Izuku on the other hand was tightening his hold on Todoroki's sleeve, almost stretching the material. In this position, Todoroki could see the deep pools of emerald and felt them absorb his being. Izuku's eyes were greener than any meadow or forest. Even emeralds had a hard time comparing to the beauty of Izuku's eyes.

Todoroki felt a desire, a need, to keep these emerald eyes on him and only him. If his gaze landed on anyone else, Todoroki felt he might go crazy. "Shoto-kun?" Todoroki immediately snapped back to reality. "Sorry, I spaced off." Izuku smiled understandingly. "I-I just wanted to say, um." Izuku chewed the inside of his cheek, "Y-you're my hero, Shoto-kun."

What- ? What was this feeling? A shock of electricity shot through his being, leaving goosebumps in its wake. This taste. It was sweeter than anything Todoroki had ever tasted. It was so sweet! Todoroki subconsciously reached for his mouth, putting his fingertips on his lips, feeling the warmth. He had no idea something so sweet existed, but for him to be able to see this, hear this, feel this, taste this, he must of done something right! There was no other explanation.

'Strange,' Todoroki thought, 'I can't remember ever being angry or upset.' A large smile pulled at his cheeks. "Thank you, Izuku. I'll do my best as your hero." Izuku's lips gaped with a toothy smile. "Can I hug you, Izuku?" The greenette thought for a moment, only to nod his head eagerly. Todoroki pulled him into a hug, only to feel arms snaking up behind him, embracing him just as warmly.

Izuku's skin was so soft despite the number of scars littering his body. Todoroki was careful how tight he held onto the greenette. They stood there, holding onto each others bodies for ten minutes. Neither wanted to part with the warmth the other provided. The limited space between them only seemed to grow smaller with every passing minute.

Every breath Todoroki took felt like heaven. He knew being this close to Izuku, there was no doubt he was breathing the same air as him and vice versa. He felt that he would melt away at any time, only to wait for Izuku to fix him back up.

The smell of his hair, even if the hospital's shampoo smelt like cardboard, was heavenly. It was so sweet. All of Izuku was sweet, like caramel. Todoroki was getting dizzy within his intrusive thoughts, but a subtle sniffle was enough to shake him back into reality. He pulled away from the hug just enough to still be attached to him but also look right into those emerald eyes. The gems within his eyes were glossy from fresh tear, some poured onto his cheeks.

"Izuku? What's wrong? Are you ok?" He forced his voice to remain calm even though his mind swarmed with worry. Izuku used his sleeve to wipe away a tear, "Y-yea. Its just I'm s-so happy and s-scared at the same t-time." Each word seemed to be followed by a hiccup. Todoroki's mouth formed an 'Oh', but his voice never left his throat. He knew that feeling. The one that sticks to a memory from a past you don't want to remember. He knew that feeling very well.

"Everything is going to be alright. It's going to take a while to forget what seems to be nailed to your memories, but I promise everything will get better with time. Do you trust me?" Todoroki extended his hand, hoping the greenette would reach for him. "I-I," there was a small pause but ultimately Izuku plopped his hand right on top of Todoroki's. It brought a smile to his face, that this angel would trust his word. "S-shoto, I-" the sound of the sliding door being opened made Izuku pause. Todoroki on the other hand was growing with rage that someone interrupted his time with the greenette.

"Forgive the intrusion, but this was urgent." That voice. Todoroki recognized it immediately. It was a gruff and slightly annoyed tone, as if the owner was reluctant to visit. "I hope you don't mind me checking in on you, Todoroki." He scowled. This was planned. The owner of the voice stepped into the room a bit more, closing the distance between him and the patients. "It's no problem," Todoroki's voice holding back the urge to snap, "Mr. Aizawa."

The sleep deprived teacher stood directly in front of the two. Todoroki released Izuku, just as the greenette did as well. Just as Todoroki had predicted, Izuku hid himself behind him, tightly holding onto the loose cloth of his cotton shirt. It brought a possessive smile to his face, one that he almost couldn't hide.

The mess of hair cleared his throat. "I hope you don't mind if I brought someone along to see you." There was no question in this. His teacher didn't really care what Todoroki thought. A quiet tapping could be heard by the door as someone walked up to the group. Dozens of thoughts passed through Todoroki's mind of who it could be. The most likely being a detective who wants to question Izuku. But Aizawa was never that predictable.

Just as Todoroki was sold on an officer, the mystery person walked right next to Aizawa. A smirk became clear as day on the visitor. "Its been a while, IcyHot." The rough voice of its owner felt like sandpaper on his skin. "It has, Bakugou."


	16. Chapter 16

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN DEKU'S BEEN SAVED?!" Bakugou was beyond confused. "I mean what I said, Bakugou. He's at the xxx hospital right now. Todoroki is there with him." Aizawa has been listening to Bakugou's rage for over half an hour, and he had not completed grading most of hos class' recent tests. "HOW DOES ICYHOT BEING THERE MAKE THIS ANY BETTER?" Aizawa put his fingers up to the bridge of his nose. He internally begged any godly force out there to silence his student, but he of all people knew that wouldn't be happening any time soon. "Listen, Bakugou. I know you don't like Todoroki, but he's there for good reason-" "AND WHAT WOULD THAT BE?" Bakugou continued his screaming. "I'll tell you but first you HAVE to sit down and be quiet, who knows who's already heard your screaming." The angry blonde let out a 'tch' before complying with his sleepy teacher.

"Believe me, Bakugou, there is goof reason for Todoroki's presence at the hospital with him. It's more for Midoriya's own well being and mental health. I've already spoken to the doctors and if they say that Midoriya would do better with Todoroki staying by his side, then I can't do anything to change that. Please understand what I'm working with here." Aizawa let out a long breath of air he'd been holding in. Bakugou sat looking uncomfortable, but hadn't said a word. He only fiddled with his fingers. 'The calm beneath the storm' Aizawa swallowed, silently waiting. He checked his watch, knowing it was already later than Bakugou should be out.

"Bakugou?" Nothing. "Bakugou, it's getting late. You should probably head back to the dorms." Still nothing. Something's wrong. He's never this quiet. "Bakugou, when was the last time you slept?" Bakugou rubbed his eyelids with his fingertips, taking a deep breath. "Doesn't matter." Aizawa screamed at himself for not noticing earlier. Bakugou had bags under his eyes, he had been falling behind in class, hell Aizawa was holding Bakugou's latest test with '65' in bold. "Damnit problem child." Aizawa sighed getting up from his chair. "Any other irregularities I should know about?" Bakugou shook his head. "Good. Now how do you like your coffee?" Bakugou looked up confused. "I-" Aizawa cut in, "trick question. Real men take it dark."

Bakugou chuckled. 'It seems like I got through to him. Good' Aizawa internally monologued. There was a strong smell of coffee as their hot drink brewed. "Now's a good chance to talk while the coffee's brewin'." Bakugou nodded and sat back, getting himself more comfortable. "Y'know I used to bully Deku. For bein' quirkless an' all." Aizawa's eyes widened. "He was just always smillin'. I used to hate it so much. How he could still smile no matter what I said or what I did to him." The coffee machine bubbled, halfway full. "Even after he was diagnosed as quirkless, I still let him tag along. And that damn nickname. No matter where I went, he was always calling after me."

The coffee machine trickled down the last remains of coffee until it had completed its job. Aizawa picked up the coffee mug, giving it straight to Bakugou. "So how do you feel now? About Midoriya that is." Bakugou blew on the hot liquid. "M'not sure. The last time I saw him..." Aizawa sipped on his own coffee, interrupting the silence. "I-I... I used my quirk on him. He just kept crying, begging me to stop. Why didn't I stop? I just left him on the concrete. He was bleeding. He was so quiet... I thought he was dead. But I turned back and he just smiled at me. DAMNIT HOW COULD HE STILL SMILE AFTER ALL THAT?!"

Bakugou clawed at his hair, tears welled in his eyes. "Do you regret it?" Bakugou was silent, although, his eyes spoke for him. 'Tch' Bakugou sipped the cooled coffee. "Damnit." He made eye contact with his teacher. A storm circled within those iris' "I wanna see him." Aizawa blinked twice. "We aren't sure if he's in stable enough condition to even be questioned. Police aren't even given permission to enter the room. What makes you think you can get in?" Aizawa crossed his eyes, not reacting to the stern look in his student's eyes. "There isn't a good enough reason I can give you. But honestly... I don't know why myself. Closure maybe?"

Aizawa raised an eyebrow. Bakugou finished his coffee, setting it on the glass coffee table. "Thanks for the coffee, Sensei. I'll see you in class." And with that the blonde stood up, walked to the door, and left. Aizawa sunk deeper into the cushions, letting out a long sigh. "I swear... problem children are gonna be the death of me." He swirled what remained of his coffee in the pearly mug. "I'm not paid enough to be dealing with this bs."

One glug later, and Aizawa was back to work grading his class' tests. He took a red marker, circling the bright red 23 on Mineta's paper. The caffeine in his system hadn't quite registered yet, so he took a stretch and refill break. With every crack his back made, he let out a groan. At the same time of course, another cup of coffee brewed.

Bakugou was eerily calm as he walked back to the dorms. It was pretty late, so he assumed no one would be up (It being a school night and all). The wood door closed behind him, the cold replaced by a warmer one. Just as expected, the dorms were quiet. He didn't even bother getting out a late night snack, and instead went straight to his room. As tired as he was, the comforter and pillows didn't look as appealing as he'd like. None the less, he flopped down on the bed.

After a couple minutes of staring at the wall, he drifted off to sleep. It wasn't a big surprise when he would wake up every hour or so, but it was nice to get even a little sleep. The next morning followed the same routine as the morning before. His uniform hung on the closet door and he went downstairs to brush his teeth. His vision seemed to be getting blurrier everyday, but he can manage. "Yo, Bakubro... you sleep? You... for..." Kirishima's voice seemed more distant than usual. It was like he was speaking through a tunnel.

It was easier to pretend he wasn't listening rather than attempt to figure out what the hell Kirishima was saying. He silently walked to school, the red head following close behind. As soon as he sat down, his eyelids felt as heavy as weights. Bakugou decided to take a quick nap before school started, hoping it would refresh him. Luckily it was a Friday so he would have all weekend to catch up on sleep.

"Bakugou." The blonde stirred awake. His eyes wandered around the empty classroom. "Huh?" He was more than a little confused. "Where-" his teacher cut in, "they all went home. You slept the whole day. Anyway, come with me." Still as confused as he when he woke up, he picked up his bag and followed Aizawa. The two walked into the teacher's lounge as they had the night before, taking the same seats as well.

"I won't bother taking longer than necessary so..." Aizawa spoke clearly. "I'm taking you to the hospital. To see Midoriya. We go tomorrow morning at 8:30. Do. Not. Be. Late." The blonde was speechless. It was as if the words wouldn't fully register themselves. Nonetheless, there was a familiar emotion clouding his mind.


	17. Chapter 17

"Its been a while, IcyHot." The rough voice of its owner felt like sandpaper on his skin. "It has, Bakugou." There was a clear uncomfortable silence between the group. "So what are you doing here? It's not like you to suddenly start worrying about my health." Todoroki tensed, covering more of the greenette hidden behind him.

"We just came to see how you two were holding out." Aizawa cut in, daring Todoroki to challenge him. "My wounds are mostly healed but other than that, but I haven't seen too much about the whole fight on the news." Aizawa nodded, "We purposely withheld that information from the news stations. It was just to risky with everything that went on. Plus we wouldn't want the villains being alerted about Midoriya's location."

It made sense. There was more risk than reward at that point. "On the point of Midoriya, I would like a word with him." Aizawa had a scarily confedent aura. Todoroki didn't know what to do. He felt a small tug on the back of his shirt. As if Izuku was begging him not to leave. "I don't know if that's such a good idea." Aizawa raised an eyebrow, "why not?" Izuku held on tighter. "Izuku?" The greenette looked up. "Do you want me to stay?" He nodded his head eagerly.

Todoroki took in the sight. Midoriya had tears pricking his eyes. The hand on Todoroki's shirt was trembling. The look in his eyes was breaking Todoroki apart. He could almost hear it. The quivering voice whispering "please don't go. Please." Aizawa sighed, "I see. Would it be alright if Todoroki is still in the room?" Izuku clearly didn't fancy the abundance of attention.

Todoroki turned to face Midoriya, "go ahead and tell me. I'll tell them." The greenette nodded and whispered something into Todoroki's ear. He nodded in response and turned back to the visitors. "He said it's fine." Bakugou stood up straight and Todoroki sat on the bed with Midoriya.

"It's been a while, Deku." Midoriya clenched the fabric of his pants and gazed at the floor, wondering who these people were. The greenette made no movements signaling that he realized they were talking to him. "Midoriya, do you recognize him?" Aizawa signaled towards Bakugou. Izuku briefly looked up, avoiding eye contact, then immediately looked back at the floor.

Bakugou was completely sure that the greenette was just nervous. Izuku slowly shook his head 'no' and Bakugou's heart dropped. "Heh heh, stop jokin' around, Deku. I know you're probably mad about the past, but I wanna fix it." Midoriya was shaking. He was scared. How did these people know his name, and who's Deku?

Todoroki took notice and reached for his hand, ceasing the trembling. Bakugou was royally pissed with his classmate. How dare he touch Deku! Aizawa shook his head, stopping the whole fight before it began.

"Listen, Deku. Please tell me you're joking. I know what I did in the past was shitty and if I could I would go back and change it. But, please tell me you remember me." Bakugou reached out his hand. Both Todoroki and his teacher knew Midoriya was incredibly nervous and scared. It made them both very cautious. As for Bakugou though, he was still ranting about anything that might jog his memory.

"I-I'm sorry but, I don't know who you are and I don't know who Deku is..." Izuku's voice was hushed and shaky. Everyone was silent. It seemed like the silence was more killer than the noise at this point. Every background sound made itself known with their silence. The dripping from the sink, the ticking of the clock, and the steady breathing of everyone in the room all brought back unsettling memories.

"Let's go, Sensei." Bakugou made the first move and stormed out the door. Aizawa was soon to follow, only after he had said his goodbyes. The door shut behind the visitors and their shadows quickly dissapered. Todoroki immedeatly embraced Izuku, who was wiping away stray tears.

"Did I mess up?" The greenette whimpered. "You did nothing of the sort. He's just weird." Izuku nodded. "It'll be okay. I'll start the bath for you." Todoroki tried changing the subject. Izuku let out a shaky 'ok' before Todoroki entered the bathroom. There was a hidden fury that he had to conceal when Bakugou and Aizawa showed up.

"That was close." Todoroki whispered, water filling the tub. "I almost lost my cool." There was a danger lurking in his words. "It was so bitter." Todoroki glared at the ripples, eyes glowing with a psychotic gleam. "I cant let them ever see each other again. It could take Izuku away from me." He took a deep breath, gathering his composure.

"The bath's ready for you, Izuku." Todoroki called out of the bathroom door. Izuku quickly walked holding a towel ready. "Thanks, Shoto-kun" Izuku gave him a smile that spread like wildfire. "Try to relax. I'll be out here." Izuku nodded and shut the door, silently undressing. The heat wafted from the water. Small groups of bubbles littered the surface.

Izuku found it sweet and strangely charming how Shoto did small things like put bubbles in the bath for him. It made Shoto more genuine than he already was. Izuku dipped a toe in, his leg following close behind until his whole body was settles in the warm water.

His cheeks were a healthy shade of pink from the heat. This is exactly what he needed to calm his nerves. Shoto really was considerate towards such a nobody. "I bet he's popular with the ladies." Midoriya mumbled, slouching deeper into the water, completely submerging himself.

He was happy he was free. So why was he so nervous? He dove deeper into his thoughts. 'Who were those people? They seemed to know Shoto. That one, Bakugou I think his name was, he looks around the same age as Shoto. A classmate maybe? The other one looked like an adult. I wonder who he was.' Water was very calming but...

"C'MON IZUKU! JUST OBEY ME! If you did we wouldn't be in this situation to begin with. I'm just doing this to show you how much I love you! Oh, I'm sure you can't hear me from under there. I bet it just sounds like mumbling. You're getting water all over the place. STOP STRUGGLING!" A memory resurfaced leaving Izuku gasping for air, only to be met with water.

He rushed to the surface and held onto the edge of the tub. He began coughing violently, desperately trying to get the water out of his lungs. "IZUKU! ARE YOU OKAY? WHAT'S WRONG?" 'Shoto must've heard me coughing. Gosh, I really am such a nuisance.' Shoto was on his knees next to the tub, patting his back. With all the sloshing around, the water spilled over the side, drenching Shoto's clothes.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Shoto didn't respond, he only held Izuku tighter until his eyes couldn't cry anymore. After the whole panic attack, Shoto wasn't too surprised that Izuku was exhausted. "I'll help you finish your bath." Izuku only nodded. His eyes looked so empty. He could only wonder what caused it. The rest of the bath was silent aside from the scrubbing of soap in Izuku's hair. Todoroki had rolled up his sleeves to avoid any more of the water.

After the bath, Shoto had made the greenette a cup of tea, but he passed out before he drank it. Todoroki held him tight, fearful of the dreams Izuku could have. Soon though, he fell asleep, putting all the days worries behind him.


	18. Chapter 18

"Bakugou! You have to slow down. I get you're upset but wait till we leave the hospital before blowing up." They had just barely left Midoriya's room on account of Bakugou's immaturity. He let his emotions get the better of him and just decided to leave out of the blue. Smoke was fuming from the blonde's hands, ready to burn anything or anyone that walked too close. At this point, he was a ticking time bomb, and Aizawa knew he had to be careful.

Bakugou stopped in front of the elevator, already having clicked the button multiple times. His foot was tapping the floor at a rapid pace. There was no doubt he was angry, but couldn't he keep his composure until after they left the building? Midoriya's room was on the third floor which made the wait for the elevator even longer. Each second felt like an hour to Bakugou since he wanted to get out ASAP.

Once the elevator arrived, there was a group of people happily chatting away, not caring who was waiting for them to get out. Only when they noticed the amount of smoke in the room, did they rush out. The group of people avoided eye contact with Bakugou and one of them even mumbled a small 'sorry bout that'. The two remaining visitors entered the elevator and pressed a button.

"That wasn't very hero-like, Bakugou. You should have more patience with citizens." Aizawa lectured his student, who responded with a 'tch'. Aizawa sighed, feeling the regret of bringing Bakugou here eat him up. "Since we're alone, what was all that for? As far as we know he could've been brainwashed or have amnesia. If you wanted another chance, this was the perfect opportunity." Aizawa was indeed confused.

Bakugou mumbled something inaudible to Aizawa. "What was that?" Bakugou growled at having to repeat himself, "You wouldn't get it." Aizawa rolled his eyes, "Oh yea? Try me." The elevator doors dinged open, giving Bakugou an escape. He walked just as quickly out of the hospital and continued on until he reached his teacher's car. "Tell me, Bakugou. Or I wont unlock the car." The blonde was visually dissatisfied with having to explain himself, but he wanted to get back to the dorms. He looked up at a third floor window, recognizing the familiar glare. "You didn't see it. The way IcyHot looked at me. His eyes were threatening me to get the hell away from Deku. He was ready to kill everyone in the room to keep Deku to himself." Aizawa unlocked the car door as he promised, followed by both getting in and buckling.

"They will only be there for a few more days, Bakugou. Todoroki will return to school when that happens and for Midoriya-" he thought for a second. "We'll see who's care he's put in. Chances are it will be a hero. Unless of course we get into contact with his parents-" "That wont happen." Bakugou interrupted. "Huh? Why not?" Aizawa swore this problem child was gonna kill him one day. "Never mind. I'll explain later." The car quietly drove onto the highway, on the way back to UA."

Once they returned to campus, the two parted ways. One on the way to finish grading and the other back to his room. A feeling of dread followed Bakugou back to his dorm. He'd kept his cool till he returned and now, he was ready to loose it. The door clicked shut, locking itself. "DAMNIT!" Bakugou pulled the drawers off the wall and across the room. His table found itself hurled across the room, much like the drawers. He ripped a poster from of the wall and tore it to pieces. He moved onto his bed, where he dragged the blankets and pillows off, either throwing them at the wall or exploding them.

When he moved onto the curtains, he picked up the curtain rod and hurled it at the window. The metal rod flew through the glass, shattering a good bit of it. Bakugou was breathing heavy. He was pissed, but not sure at what. Maybe IcyHot? Himself? Deku? He was stressed and confused. "Damnit." He was dragged from his rage when a small tap on his door was made. "Bakubro?" 'Shity hair. Of course.'

Bakugou opened the door despite his mood. "What?" The redhead in front of him was deciding how he should respond. "I heard some noise from your room. I was just wondering if you were- HOLY SHIT DUDE! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR ROOM!?" Bakugou put a finger to his lips, signaling Kirishima to be quiet. He made another gesture to follow him inside. Kirishima was slightly nervous to what made Bakugou so upset. The two stepped over the furniture on the floor.

Cold air blew through the hole in the window, giving Kirishima goosebumps. "What's wrong bro? Usually you just blow up not... destroy your room." He put a hand on Bakugou's back, hoping to calm him down. "Just...just a long day." 'I couldn't possibly tell him.' "Listen bro if you don't wanna tell me, its cool. We should probably clean up and cover up that window though." Bakugou gave a nervous chuckle, "Oh yea."

The two of them silently began picking up the wooden furniture and putting everything back together. The drawers were put back and the leftover glass was thrown away. Within the chaos on the floor was a framed picture of two kids. Kirishima recognized one of them to be mini Bakugou, but the other one... he wasn't sure. The glass from the frame was cracked from one end to the other.

"Hey, Bakubro? Who's this one kid?" Bakugou looked over to his friend holding the picture frame. In one swift movement he grabbed it from Kirishima and put it back on the desk. Some glass pieces fell onto the desk's surface leaving open spots on the picture. "S'no one. Lets just finish cleaning. I have'ta find Aizawa so I can get a new window." Kirishima laughed, "Didn't think the windows would be so easily broken." Bakugou smiled, "Heh heh, yea."


	19. Chapter 19

"Nice to see you again, Izuku. Now that you're back in my arms, I'm never letting you go." A scratchy voice spoke through a smile only a killer would wear. "Why would you leave me? HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME!" Midoriya trembled, taking in the sight. "T-tomura. I-I swear I didn't mean too. I-I was just scar-" "SHUT UP" A hand swung at him, making contact with his scarred skin. A red hand mark remained on his cheek as well as a few stray tears.

"DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND, IZUKU?! YOU'RE MINE. I SHOULD KILL YOU FOR DISOBAYING ME!" Midoriya moved as far back as he could until he hit a wall. There was no excuse good enough that would get him out of this. He was trapped. Again and again. Over and over. He would never be set free. His vision was blurry from the tears. He hovered a hand to his cheek, feeling the tingling pain. "Heh heh heh. Izukuuuu~" Shigaraki reached toward the trembling greenette.

"Izuku~." Over and over again. It made him want to throw up. He was so close. He would kill him. "Izuku." He closed his eyes, shielding himself from the sight. "Izuku?" He whispered sorrys along with promises to behave. "Izuku. Wake up." Huh? He removed the hands covering his eyes. The surplus of light made him remember. "S-shoto?" The familiar face assured him that he was safe.

"Are you okay? You were crying." Todoroki was squeezing his hand, releasing a warmth close to hope. Todoroki smiled at him. "It's going to be okay. You're free. He can't get you anymore." Midoriya jumped him with a hug. He squeezed as tight as he could, tears flowing like a sink with no hope for finish anytime soon. Todoroki hugged him back, whispering words of assurance and promises to protect.

Once he calmed down, and his wails turned to sniffles, Todoroki gave him something to eat. It's been a rough few days for Midoriya, having to deal with what happened as well as his fear that it would come back to finish him off. Clean clothes were laying neatly on the chair across the room. Both changed in silence, listening to the other's breathing. Midoriya wore a loose white t-shirt with grey sweatpants. Todoroki on the other hand wore a black turtleneck with a pair of pants from home. Midoriya still didn't have a proper set of clothes so he was wearing whatever the hospital could supply.

It wouldn't be too long until he would be taking shopping or given clothes of his very own. Until then though, he would be wearing loose baggy clothes of boring colors. It actually didn't seem to bother the greenette, in fact nothing seemed to bother him aside from his memories. His eyes would be glossy but still dull, like an old iron sword. It still shows a reflection but wouldn't be ideal to use. "Hey, Shoto-kun?" Todoroki turned to face Midoriya. "What do you usually do. Outside of the hospital I mean." Midoriya sat on the edge of the bed, not too far from the other male in the room.

"Well, usually I attend school. Other than that... I don't have much of an interesting life." Todoroki really didn't. He would just lock himself in his dorm and do whatever. "Where do you go to school?" In all honesty, Todoroki was quite proud to tell Midoriya where he went to school. Maybe it would make him look better or just more trustworthy. Whatever it was, he was eager to share. "I attend UA. It's a popular high school to train students that wish to become heroes." Todoroki swore he saw stars in Midoriya's eyes.

"REALLY?!" The greenette bounced excitedly on the mattress. "That's so cool! I bet you're really strong." Not strong enough for this moment. Todoroki's heart squeezed and melted at the same time. He was so cute. Todoroki sunk deeper into his thoughts while Midoriya went on another rant about heroes. He must've been quite the fan boy before he was kidnapped. "Speaking of which, I haven't seen much All Might on the news. Is he taking a break or something?" Midoriya tilted his head to the side like a cat.

"Not quite. He's actually been teaching at UA and is one of my teachers." Izuku's mouth dropped. All Might. The number one hero. Is teaching Shoto-kun. On a daily basis. The unstoppable hero. The symbol of peace. Todoroki interrupted his shock with a small chuckle. "Ah, what's so funny, Shoto-kun?" Izuku pouted like a toddler. "It's nothing. You're just really cute when you're flustered." "H-huh?"

Well damn. If he wasn't flustered before, he was now. A deep red coated his cheeks, almost concealing his freckles. The temperature seemed to have spiked 30 degrees. "S-SHOTO-KUN! THAT'S NOT FUNNY!" He franticly waved around his hands, face still beet red. "It's not just when you're flustered. Everything you do is cute." Shoto stood up, facing Izuku. "When you chew the inside of your cheek when you're thinking. When you mumble up a storm so fast I can barely keep up. Even when you play with the bubbles in the bath when you think no one is looking. The freckles on your cheeks are cute when you go of on tangents. The emeralds and light in your eyes when you get excited. Its all cute." Shoto paused, waiting for a response, slowly inching forward.

The sight he was met with was much more satisfying instead. Izuku's mouth hung open, trying to find words. The blush had spread to the top of his ears. Even the gleam in his eyes reflected Shoto, who stood before him. It proved to Shoto that he was everything Izuku was looking at. All his attention was given to Shoto. Having Izuku's eyes on only him was his plan from the beginning, but holy shit did this feel better than he could've ever imagined. Shoto wanted to carve this moment into his memory. He wanted Izuku to remember this moment as well.

The blush never faltered as he stepped closer and closer. He kneeled down in front of Izuku who was still sitting on the edge of the bed. It felt like time had stopped the closer he leaned in until he felt Izuku's soft lips on his. Izuku didn't move away so he scooched closer, deepening the kiss. As much as he wanted to see what Izuku would look like being kissed, he decided to indulge in the feeling by closing his eyes. Izuku's lips were so soft, so pure, so perfect. They just drew him in. Tempting him with every word.

Once Shoto decided that he should stop before things get too far, he pulled away ever so slowly. There was a look of awe in Izuku's eyes. The sight of him wasn't very different from before the kiss. His mouth still hung open in shock, the blush covered his face, and his eyes were glued to Shoto.


	20. Chapter 20

"This is just for the sake of understanding but, are you sure you're comfortable with Todoroki being present for our session and/or sessions?" A womanly voice asked. The woman sitting in front of Izuku was hired by the hospital as his therapist. Her hair was a soft peach color and barely reached her shoulders which made her green eyes pop out. He was well aware of the hospital hiring her and even had a say in who would be chosen. Izuku made it very clear he did not want a male therapist for sake of comfort. Izuku nodded, too anxious about giving verbal responses. "Alright. Then I shall retrieve him. I'll only be a moment so please, feel free to get comfortable." The woman stood up from her chair and quietly left the room. With her gone, he decided to look around the room.

There was an abundance of bright colors but not enough to make it seem chaotic. The couch he sat on was a light grey that was sporting a couple colorful pillows. Behind him was a small purple blanket that seemed to only lay on the couch for decoration purposes. In front of him was the recently abandoned therapist chair. Much like the couch, it was also a light grey. There were a few flower designs sown into the fabric and a tiny yellow pillow sitting on the chair.

The walls seemed to be more pastel colored than the rest of the room, but it had its fair share of colorful objects hanging from the one wall of decorative brick. There were framed positive quotes and pieces of art making the room livelier. Strands of pink tinsel hung lazily on the room's walls. There was one window, but it was covered by blinds. Instead, most of the light came from the fixtures on the ceiling. A small chandelier lit up the middle of the room, while fairy lights gave the room a colorful lighting.

Next to the couch was a small table that held one large glass bowl of squishy stress balls, puzzles, and fidget cubes. The back of the door was likely the most colorful piece in the room. It was painted a bright lilac and had a magnetic chalk board attached to it. Bright magnets held equally bright pieces of paper that looked to be reminders and positive reinforcements. The small smiley faces on the chalk board seemed to mock him. A wave of anxiety settled in his stomach causing him to reach for a yellow pillow and squeezing it like a teddy bear. He took in a deep breath. The door opened, revealing the therapist and Shoto following close behind.

Whatever conversation they were having paused the moment they stepped inside. As soon as Shoto saw Izuku, he made a B line straight to him and sat down. "I'm happy you wanted me in the room." Shoto whispered to Izuku, making the leftover anxiety wash away temporarily. Despite the decent sized couch, the two sat close. The therapist sat on her chair and got comfortable, officially starting the first session. "With Todoroki here now, I'm going to reintroduce myself." Izuku muttered an 'okay' that likely wasn't even loud enough for her to hear.

"My name is Dr. Kazue and I'll be your therapist until further notice. I am licensed to use my quirk if you begin having an anxiety attack, feel extremely nervous, or anything of the sort. So if you feel you need to take a breather, just tell me. My quirk is called Harmony's Benefit. The basics of my quirk is that I can willingly release a type of aroma that calms the people in the room with me. It can also double over as a temporary anti-depressant. You'll likely notice that my quirk is very similar to the Pro Hero: Midnight. Just not as potent. Before we start, do either of you have any questions?" Both shook their heads no. "That's alright. Let's begin."

"So, Midoriya, what's your favorite activity? I'm sure you must be bored out of your mind in the hospital." Her voice felt velvety as she uncapped her pen.

"Well, um. There really isn't too much I can do." Izuku mumbled, reaching for Shoto's hand like he did when Mr. Aizawa and Bakugou visited. Shoto welcomed the developing habit with open arms; or hands rather.

"That's understandable. The hospital has already put a date to your discharge. Are you excited?"

'Excited? Should I be excited?' Izuku thought. "I-I'm not sure. I don't know what's going to happen after I'm discharged." He squeezed Shoto's hand tighter. 'Am I just going to be dropped off somewhere?'

"Ah yes! About that. UA has decided to take you in since-," Dr. Kazue cut herself off with what was clearly a forced cough, "Well they decided to have you stay at UA with Todoroki here. Of course you'll be staying in different establishments but they've acknowledged your attachment to each other and found that this was the best course of action." She brushed a loose strand of hair behind her pierced ear.

"I'll be able to-" There was a pause. He looked over to Shoto who was smiling shamelessly before finishing Izuku's sentence. "You'll be able to stay with me."

There was new feeling in Izuku's abdomen. He couldn't ever remember feeling this way. How could he describe it? It felt like there was a small flame within him, warming him from the inside. It felt comfortable, like basking in the sun after a long winter.

Shoto seems to be the cause of these new feelings. There was a not so foreign thought wandering his mind. Izuku tightened his grip on Shoto's hand. He was happy. "So this arrangement is satisfactory I take it?" The therapist's voice pulled him out of his fantasies. "Ah-, yes!"

The session ended soon after that and the pair retired back to the room. Shoto volunteered to bathe first so Izuku turned on the wall TV in the meantime.

Shoto couldn't help but smile as he undressed himself. Today had been eventful and surprisingly comforting. Now he wouldn't have to worry about finding some way to be around him. It was understandable really- as far as he knew, he didn't have any family and no one else had come to take care of him.

The water on his skin gave him a small version of what he feels with Izuku; warm and safe. It wasn't the warm he feels when he uses his fire side, it was more like a sweet embrace from a lover. "Lo-ver?" Shoto mouthed each syllable like it was a foreign language.

Could Izuku be counted as his lover? The thought was more than welcome but not as familiar as he'd like it to be. His face felt like it was so warm. Was he blushing? His stuck his head out of the shower to look at the mirror, sure enough, he was all red. Not only that, but there was a small flame on his shoulder (which he put out immediately).

As he stepped back in the shower, he stumbled on some leftover ice by the drain. He sighed at himself and his lack of control. "In order to control it, I need to understand it." His mumbling was a completely separate sound from the water.

Shoto sucked him a deep breath and muttered the word again, "lover…loooo-ver… lov-er…" He repeated the word until it felt like something completely foreign. He liked the way it sounded. It slid off his tongue. He'd have to ask Izuku about it.

Shoto finished washing up and turned off the water. A white fluffy towel that wasn't there before, sat neatly on the toilet seat. The leftover droplets quietly fell as he picked up the towel. It smelled briefly of Izuku. He hadn't even heard Izuku come in. He looked up at the foggy mirror as he dried off. There was a silly smiley face and note drawn on the mirror. 'You forgot your towel (w)'. It made him smile. There was also a set of clean clothes on the counter.

He quickly changed into the clothes laid out for him and put the towel around his neck before opening the door. Izuku jumped in surprise before turning around at the open door. "Shoto!" Izuku's smile was contagious, and spread to him like wildfire. "I have some good news." He held up an opened letter with both hands at different sides of the envelope.

There was bold lettering on the paper that read 'Izuku Midoriya'. Shoto sat on the bed next to the greenette. "I'm being discharged tomorrow!" Shoto couldn't help his excitement as he hugged Izuku, tackling him to the bed. "I can't wait to show you around campus. The whole property is huge and covered in trees so most of the time you'll forget that you're within school walls. There's tons of buildings with different purposes too so you'll never need to leave the property. Everything will be taken care of and I'll be close by if you ever need me."

"Thanks, Sho. That makes me really happy." He smiled. The two got comfortable as they continued sharing stories about UA, Shoto more so than Izuku. The TV served as meaningless background noise for the two. UA always seemed so far away even for the students, but it was a comfortable topic for Izuku.

Despite this though, there was a disturbing envelope hidden somewhere in the rest of the mail, which kept Izuku on edge.


	21. Chapter 21

Steam flowed from under the bathroom door and into the room. The heat made Izuku stuffy. There really was nothing too interesting on the news, save for a few short clips of lesser known heroes every now and then. The news anchor smiled as he conversed with his cohost. They were talking about the newer heroes who've recently grown in the popularity ranks. A good ninety nine percent he had no clue existed until now.

Their quirks looked really interesting from what he was shown. There were two that stuck out like sore thumbs in their brief interviews: Mt. Lady and Kami Woods. They seemed to know each other considering how they speak to one another, despite their opposing personalities. One was very social, grabbing your attention, considering how she uses her quirk. Meanwhile, Kami held his tongue while also projecting his best at all times. For some reason there was a sense of déjà vu.

The TV cut back to the station, focusing on the host who was cracking a joke. He was rather handsome, maybe that was why he was the host. Unattractive people were less popular. Izuku thought back to Shoto who was without a doubt very popular. "-and the rumor circling these heroes," Izuku looked back up to the TV.

"What do you think about this new evidence, Circe'?" The man had moved from the news table to a white chair for the interview.

The camera cut to a woman sitting on a white couch. She had long purple locks that made her outfit pop. She wore a matching black crop top and pencil skirt that had gold embroidery and shapes sown in. It gave her a regal look that spewed gossip.

The camera zoomed in, showing off her charming golden irises. The text at the bottom of the screen told the viewer who she was and what she did. Apparently Circe' is a well-known gossip enthusiast with a show and magazine company of her own. As she explained her theory between Kami woods and Mt. Lady, she moved her gloved hands to emphasize her point. The host seemed to be drinking her in with every point she made. He looked like a sailor lost to a siren.

Izuku was rather interested in the interview; after all, all knowledge is good knowledge. His mind ran with questions and theories beyond them being a couple. He wanted to know more. Not just about them, but about every hero he hasn't indulged in yet. Izuku was vibrating with excitement.

Izuku stood up and began searching the room for some spare paper when he heard mumbling from inside the bathroom. Being as curious as he was, Izuku placed his ear to the door. Only the sound of running water could be made out causing him to pout. He turned his head to the nearby chair that displayed Shoto's clean clothes and towel.

Izuku giggled. "Shoto's so forgetful." His hands picked up the neatly folded clothes and knocked on the door. No answer. He knocked once more, being met with nothing again. This time he quietly opened the door, placed the towel on the toilet seat and the clothes on the counter, and wrote out a little message on the foggy mirror.

Shoto seemed to be too deep in thought to notice him, so he left without saying anything. Izuku's face was warm with a blush as he paced around the room. There was a startling knock on the entry door that paused Izuku's transition into a beet. He walked over to the door and saw a small pile of letters being slid under the door.

He picked them up and looked at each of their covers. 'Izuku Midoriya', 'Shoto Todoroki', 'Izuku Midoriya', and one that had neither Izuku's nor Shoto's name on the front. There was only a bold 'CONFIDENTIAL' in red.

The bold letters put him on edge. It didn't seem to be for him since it didn't have his name on it, but his curiosity was far too strong to just give it back. So instead of opening it right away, he placed it at the bottom of the pile and opened the first one.

"Dear Izuku Midoriya, we are pleased to report your official discharge from the XXX hospital. This letter is being given to you under the impression that this information is not yet known to you: You will be housed in a secure location given your situation which therefore leads us to give custody to U.A. U.A. is popular and well known hero-in-training school with funds supplied by the government. With this new knowledge, understand that you will be transitioning there within the next 24 hours. We wish you well. -XXX hospital staff"

The letter was typed much like the signature, but he wasn't focused on that. There was more excitement in his 'transition' as the hospital phrased it. Izuku observed the other three letters before he heard the water turn off. Izuku hurriedly hid the 'CONFIDENTIAL' letter under his pillow. There was a new feeling of guilt blossoming in his gut. All Shoto has ever been is honest, and now Izuku is hiding secret letters under his pillow. He really did feel bad and was about to remove it when the bathroom door opened.

"Shoto!" Izuku rushed to smile. He didn't think Shoto saw the dishonesty in his smile so he continued talking. "I have some good news." Izuku picked up the opened letter and showed it off with genuine happiness. Shoto seemed to smile as well.

Shoto continued drying off his hair as he sat next to him. There was a look in Shoto's eyes that said 'what's got you so happy?'

"I'm being discharged tomorrow!" Shoto looked even more excited than Izuku. His smile widened and he began telling Izuku all about campus. It would be a first, going somewhere so huge. According to Shoto, everything he would need was there and a large variety of buildings with different uses.

Shoto went on to tell Izuku that he would be there if he ever needed him, which made him feel cared for. Izuku found that this was a great opportunity, not just to be near Shoto, but to find out more about the three years' worth of heroes he missed. None the less, he was happy Shoto was going to be there every step of the way. "Thanks, Sho. That really makes me happy."

Shoto continued telling stories of his experience at UA so far before Izuku remembered there was a letter for him.

"Ah, Shoto? I forgot to say but there's a letter for you." The duel haired man looked at him curiously. Izuku took that as him saying 'can I see it?'. He handed the letter over before he began opening his own.

"Dearest Izuku Midoriya, I understand that you will be moving locations to UA. I'm proud of you for being so brave on this difficult road to recovery and I'd like to let you know that you'll still be seeing me for our sessions when I visit you or you'll be given a check-up by the famed Recovery Girl. Just remember that I'm always on your side and here if you need me.

In case you ever need to contact me, my phone number is ###-###-####. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you ever feel anxious, panicky, or if you just want to talk.

Best wishes, Dr. Kazue."

Izuku found the letter reassuring despite how anxious he is around people. Once he finished he glanced over to Shoto he was reading the last words. "What did your letter say?" Izuku asked.

"Just stuff about class and the work I missed." Shoto smiled. "And you?"

Izuku put the letter back in the envelope, placing it on the table. "Just Dr. Kazue." Shoto made an 'oh' sound. Shoto hugged him, obviously comfortable. Izuku giggled, "I need to take a shower, Sho."

He only groaned in response as if to say 'but I'm comfy.' Izuku squeezed Shoto tighter before letting go completely. "I won't take long, I promise. Why don't you pick out a movie for us to watch? It's going to be out last night in the hospital after all."

Shoto nodded in agreement, face pushed into the mattress. Izuku laughed even harder. "You're so silly, Sho." He picked up a towel and clean clothes, shutting the bathroom door and starting the water.

Water felt nice, as always. He soothingly scrubbed his hair clean and the grime off his body. Before running away, he rarely had this option. Not because he wasn't allowed to shower, but because Tomu- Shigaraki always wanted to do it for him. It was never calming or enjoyable. It was always rough and rushed that often led to his hair being jerked violently. He was glad he could do it for himself now. It made the experience much more…relaxing.

Just as promised though, Izuku made quick work of cleaning off so he could watch a movie with Sho before it got too late. Copying Shoto, he let the towel hang on his shoulders to catch the leftover droplets of water. Shoto noticed and his face made a small blush appear.

Although the movie was interesting, the two were much more drained than they first believed. Both of them had leaned on the other and fell asleep, waiting for the next day.

When the sun brightly shone through the window, Izuku slowly opened his eyes. He smiled taking in the sight of Shoto asleep. He looked so peaceful.

With an early start to his inevitable move, he began 'packing'. Of course there wasn't much he had to begin with aside from a couple pairs of "comfort clothes" the hospital provided. The staff had placed a small grey duffle bag on the doorknob for Izuku to find. He began folding the boring colors and placing them at the bottom. Izuku paused halfway and glanced back to his bed.

The ominous envelope should still be under his pillow from the previous evening. Shoto was still asleep, so maybe he could sneak it into the bag and stuff it under everything else.

Izuku made his way over and did just that. The envelope made a heavy ball form in his stomach, despite its light weight and business oriented style. He shook off the thoughts and zipped the duffle bag closed.

He looked around to admire the room one last time. It had been a few weeks since he was first brought here (or woke up here with no memory of how). Despite the depressing reason he was brought here in the first place, he did have quite a few good memories.

Most everything he remembers from here, had something to do with Shoto in one way or another. After his body had slept what he normally would in two months back with Tomur- Shigaraki, he remembers having late night chats with Shoto at length about whatever. He had learned so many things about the ice user during the time. A good chunk was personal.

Izuku mainly kept his memories to himself except when the doctors or his therapist asked. It wasn't something he was exactly comfortable with at the moment.

But with all the positive things, came something else. Most nights he would have nightmares that would drown him in black pools of ink that dripped from his captor's mouth. If he believed in dreams being symbolic, maybe he would've looked more into it. But that was the least of his concerns. It became so frequent that the doctors prescribed him some sleeping pills (he would have to work up to the heavy duty ones with time).

Izuku tried his best to avoid taking showers or baths especially. Not that he liked being dirty, but showering meant he was alone with his thoughts. Taking a bath was the worst though. The one or two times he'd taken one, was immediately followed by a panic attack.

His memories were like a rubber duck floating to the surface. It was more vivid with the 'aid' of water, but he could remember this much: He would be in a cold basement (or at least he thought it was a basement), Tomu- Shigaraki would be holding him down by the neck, one finger elevated, while Izuku's hands were chained to his back.

He chained Izuku to the concrete floor to keep him still in his kneeling position. The sinister grin on his captor was one of the most prominent features he remembered while his head was dunked into a container of water repeatedly. He would be held under until Izuku thought he was going to pass out, only to be roughly pulled back last minute.

He can still hear the echo of his voice as he hacked the water out of his lungs. After a while of these… activities, Izuku remembers throwing up leftover water he had swallowed along with whatever bile was laying in his stomach.

It wasn't a happy thought. But at least he could proudly say things had gotten significantly better as of late. Now he wasn't even trapped with his captor! He was happy. So much so that he wouldn't try anything that would jeopardize the feeling.

A small groan pulled his attention from packing. Shoto had cracked open his eyes a smidge and smiled with his sparkling white teeth. "Morning, Zuku." He glanced at the bag, "You already ready?" Izuku nodded excitedly. "Guess I should start getting ready as well." He hopped up and stretched.

The time passed by quickly while the two waited to be escorted out. When it finally came, Izuku insisted that he could carry his own bag, too afraid that someone might go looking through it.

A black car drove up to the front of the hospital. One of who Izuku guessed to be the teachers opened the car door for them. "We're going to be following close by, so don't be afraid to holler at us if you need anything." A young woman with shiny raven/purplish hair smiled. "If you have any questions, feel free to annoy Shota over there." She gestured to the driver with long black hair. He looked… familiar?

The door slammed shut, startling Izuku. The cars then began driving off.

"I didn't know you'd be taking us back, Mr. Aizawa." Shoto spoke. Ah! Now Izuku remembered. He was that teacher that accompanied Bakugou to the room that one time.

"Yep." He replied curtly. "Midoriya, I'm going to be in charge of you from today onwards per the principal's orders. I know this is a little sudden, but I was only informed this a couple days ago. Is there anything you'd prefer me calling you since we'll be seeing a lot of each other?"

Izuku thought for a moment. "Um. I can't think of anything right now. B-but if I do I'll be sure to tell you."

Aizawa hummed in response, driving the rest of the way in silence. Soon enough the large U.A. building came into view, shocking Izuku with more size than he imagined. It was amazing! And he was going to be living here? He was so excited!

Shoto quietly smirked next to Izuku as the greenette stuck himself to the window at the view. This was going to be interesting.


	22. Chapter 22

Izuku had his eyes glued to the windows. The reflective sheets of glass were so large, unlike the ones in the car and hospital; and definitely bigger than any of the non-existent windows back at the bar. There were large trees everywhere! He couldn't remember the last time he had seen so much greenery.

He was standing in a hallway in one of the buildings. Everything was so clean and tidy. Aizawa was somewhere behind him talking to another person, but he was just enjoying the view.

The other adults around him noticed his attraction to the outside and let him be while they spoke amongst themselves (likely about rules regarding Izuku but he didn't care). The sky seemed to be much bluer lately, or maybe that was just him; the clouds seemed fluffier too.

Small parakeets flew past the window as well as an occasional crane, making the view that much more lively.

Birds weren't the only lifeforms he could see, from the third story he could see students occasionally walk the paths in groups. Their conversation couldn't be heard through the thick glass, but he could see their positivity coming off them in waves. The uniform was cool, Izuku believed. With its sheik light grey color and green outlines, he thought they made each student look incredibly professional.

A pretty blue butterfly flew past the window.

The building Izuku was staying in was reserved for guests and teachers. Principle Nezu is one of the many capable adults staying within the concrete walls. Most of the teachers though would rather live off campus rather than being in one area every day. That would be the same for Aizawa if he wasn't now in charge of taking care of Izuku. The tired teacher had an apartment close by just so he wouldn't have to stay in the building, but things change after all.

"Heyyyyy there little listener" A cheery voice spoke. A hand was placed on his shoulder making Izuku jump.

He could hear his heart beating in his ears. Physical contact was a no. Not from strangers that he couldn't trust.

He couldn't turn around, hell he couldn't even move. The blood running through his veins went cold and his ears were ringing. His breathing was shaky, almost as if he was trying to breathe as quietly as possible. The room was getting darker. Were the walls were moving too? They were creaking, grating, moving, shifting. There was so much sound, yet he felt as though a pin drop would echo throughout the room.

"Damnit Mic!" a distorted voice licked the side of the walls. What happened to the window?

Something wasn't right. His lungs felt heavy and stiff, making his breath somehow labored and cold. Shivers clawed their way under his skin, stemming from his shoulder. How many fingers were actually touching him? One, two, three, four… five? Was he going to die? Tomura was going to kill him. He was actually going to kill him. It was his fault for running away. He should've listened more. He should've enjoyed Tomura's softer side more. He- he- he-

A strong force turned him around from where the window once was.

"Midoriya, you're safe! You're out of that prison! He can't get to you here!"

He- he- he- can't get me here… I'm safe. I'm free. I'm okay.

The window's light reappeared slowly, like the sun coming out from behind the clouds. He could see the room again, not just some ink black prison. No one was touching his shoulder anymore. He wasn't even sure if there was one in the first place. Maybe it was all his imagination. His head felt fuzzy.

"M-Mr. Nezu, right?" His voice was shakier than he thought. The white mouse-? Dog-? Bear-? Animal, stood before him. He was much shorter than Izuku first thought. A large pink scar was prominent across the skin near his beady right eye. It uncomfortably reminded him of Tomura.

Looking down, Izuku could see the formalwear the principal was sporting. A small black waistcoat and pants with a red tie. Even further down, Izuku could see orange-ish/khaki lace up sneakers that hid his cat-like tail. The soles were rather large on his small feet. Izuku liked the style.

"Are you alright?" The group of adults all had their eyes on him. The closest person to him was Mr. Nezu, but to be fair, he couldn't make out much behind him besides the concerned look on Aizawa's face. His head was still fuzzy.

"Yeah, I-" Was he okay? He just wanted- what did he want? He couldn't sleep and when he could, nightmares were always one step behind him. He just wanted his mind to stop spinning, even if for a moment.

"Do you want some tea?'

Izuku nodded his head. He didn't trust his voice to do the job. Tea, that was just what he needed. A warm, calming cup of tea.

"Why don't you leave your luggage here for Aizawa to bring to your room, and we'll just go to the kitchen-"

"NO!" He slapped a hand over his mouth and tightened the grasp on his bag. "I-I mean… I don't really feel comfortable with… I just-"

"It's quite alright, I understand. The kitchen is this way." Nezu raised a paw in the direction of the kitchen. "What type of tea would you like?"

"Oh, um… whatever you have most of is fine." Izuku followed close by. Surprisingly Nezu walked rather quickly, despite his small legs.

"Stuff and nonsense. Please think of it as a welcome gift. I have this lovely tea which I think you will _love_." Izuku smiled. Nezu was very obviously a fan of tea.

The principal opened a cabinet beneath the countertop. Its placement was clearly for easy accessibility. The front half of his body was moved into the cabinet like some sort of comedy stick as he rummaged around. The back half of his body moved side to side in a cartoonish manor.

"Ah, here it is! Imperial Golden Tips." He held it with both hands as if to show it off like some kind of trophy.

The tin was an emerald green color with a large black stripe circling the top of the container. Decorative gold lines wrapped were wrapping around the green box like lace. Near the top of it, a gold oval held a blacked out picture of a teapot pouring, and a teacup. It had quite the regal look to it.

"Are you sure, Principal Nezu? This looks really expensive. I don't know if I can drink this." He waved his hands in from of him franticly.

"Do you always speak stuff and nonsense? I promise, it's quite alright. I've been meaning to make some of this delightful tea for some time."

"I see. Well if that's the case, then please feel free to make some."

Nezu rummaged through another cabinet for a pot. Once he found one, he walked in the opposite direction to the sink.

"Oh, I can get that for you." He extended a hand to the principal.

"Why thank you Midoriya, that's very kind of you."

"Well it's just in my nature to help people. Although recently I haven't been the one doing all the helping." He scratched the back of his neck with a nervous smile.

"That is a noble attribute to have, considering what you've been through." Nezu passed the metal teapot to the surprised greenette.

He placed it under the running faucet, water began filling "It doesn't matter that I'm quirkless?"

"Why would it matter?"

"I-" Why _would_ it matter? "I suppose it doesn't." He picked up the filled teapot, put the loose leaves in their spot within the pot, and put it on the warming stove.

"Are you used to people telling you your quirklesness is the source of your issues?" Nezu squirmed his way on top of the marble countertop and took a seat on the cold surface.

"Well it's just… It's always been the source of my issues for the few things I can remember."

"If you don't mind me asking, how much can you remember? Before you were taken, that is."

The water slowly heated up, not yet close enough to boiling to remove.

"Really, not much. I can remember bits and pieces of my late childhood, especially the parts with Tomura."

"You call him Tomura rather than Shigaraki, is there a reason for that?"

How about being forced into that unwanted closeness for three years? If he even slipped up accidentally with the name, he would be punished violently. "It's a… habit."

"Just remember that you aren't forced to call him that anymore." Nezu was strangely on the ball with his advice. It was almost suspiciously accurate, as if he had some personal feelings in this mess.

"I-I'm sorry if this comes out rude but… how did you get your scar." Izuku leaned next to Mr. Nezu, but still keeping his distance.

Nezu took in a sigh. "It is not something I talk about often, but the gist of it is that I also was abused." He took hold of Izuku's hands, making sure the greenette saw what he was doing as to avoid any panic. "Let me give you some advice. Your scars tell stories, but you are not obligated to share them, just as I am not obligated to share mine."

The teapot began whistling which successfully saved Izuku from giving an out of place response. While the greenette took the pot off of the stove and turned off the nob, Nezu plopped two teacups on the counter. The red circle faded to black as it cooled.

He put a hand to the lid, securing it from falling off, and began pouring into the newly placed cups. The flavored water made a sloshing noise. The color deepened as more filled the white porcelain.

"Would you like to add anything to your tea?" Izuku asked, handing the teacup to Nezu.

"Not with this tea. Its taste succeeds any flavor that could be added." Nezu gives a soft blow to the steam wafting off the liquid. He takes a sip. "Somehow it gets better every time I try some. How is yours?"

Izuku looks down at the cup he held with both hands. The warmth spread into his palms like he's holding the sun, or making fire. It's strange. It's almost as if steam wasn't the only thing wafting from the shiny liquid.

The still tea reflected Izuku like a mirror. He could only guess the taste. It looked less watered down than other teas. The color was dark brownish with a gold tint that could be coming from the lights. It smelled nice as well. Most teas focused mainly on the smell rather than the taste which led to a bland mixture. Well, there was only one way to find out.

Izuku removed one hand and looped the other under the handle. He put the cup up to his lips and poured some of the aromatic tea into his mouth.

"Wow. It's really good." He smiled as the warmth that resonated in his palms, moved throughout his body.

"If there's one thing I'm an expert with, its tea. Do you like the taste? How about the smell?"

"I thought that the tea was going to be one of those 'smell only' kinds because of how potent its scent is. But when I tasted it, the smell only added to its charms. Usually teas like to showcase a strong smell to compensate for their lack of flavor, but this one blends them so well that they seem like one in the same. I can't remember any teas that I've tried that caused this reaction, so it must be of good quality, right? I've never had this tea before and the box looks like expensive, are you sure you're okay with me drinking this? I won't be offended if you were just being thoughtful. It's a nice gesture, really, but-"

"You're quite the mumbler. Is it that your thoughts go too fast for you, that you have to mumble them?"

Izuku blushed. Why does he always do stuff that makes him look like a weirdo?

"No need to feel embarrassed. It's something that makes you, you." Nezu was such a kind man. He always knew what to say to make him feel better, and he even knew how to pull him from his swirling thoughts.


End file.
